Villeneuve: "In the past, drivers didn't block each other in a straight line"

The Formula 1 graphic "under investigation" is perhaps overused during race weekends. Back in 'the day', there were hardly any rules and regulations that would bring such an instance up. Jacques Villeneuve believes the sport should take a step back in this department as there are too many rules and regulations preventing drivers from racing. 

"Today there is the action and the rules and the decisions, but there are too many rules and too many judgments. The smallest incident must be analyzed. It was much easier when everything was left to the drivers, except in the most extreme cases. There was much less nagging on the track then," Villeneuve said to France's Auto Plus. 

"We could take revenge. You were bothered by a driver and if that was on purpose, you could just take it back the next round. Now, these gestures are the most repressed. In the past, drivers did not block each other in a straight line. The first to do such things was Jarno Trulli and later Michael Schumacher," he added. 

Last year, there was major controversy at the Canadian Grand Prix and then the Austrian Grand Prix. Later in the season, Michael Masi relaxed the rules slightly and introduced a warning system.