F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Villeneuve beats up on 'worst rookie ever' Stroll

Jacques Villeneuve just knocked down Lance Stroll from the pillar the Canadian had managed to rise onto after his points-rewarding  race in Montreal yesterday.

After a difficult debut to his maiden F1 season which put himself in the line of fire of many critics, the Williams rookie finally achieved a meaningful result, finishing P9 in yesterday's Canadian Grand Prix.

The teenager also became the first Canadian other than a Villeneuve to  score points in F1, but the performance didn't impress the man who had accomplished that feat before him.

Villeneuve believes that the teenager's deficit in qualifying to team mate Felipe Massa offer ample evidence of Stroll's weakness.

"He is more than a second slower than Felipe," Villeneuve told Austrian broadcaster ORF.

"Results speak for themselves. It is one of the worst rookie performances in the history of Formula 1," Villeneuve charged.

Fortunately, Lance Stroll appears to have a thick skin, the teenager ignoring attacks and criticism from the likes of Mr. Villeneuve.

"I don't care what people think," said the 18-year-old.

"I'm happy for me and the team. The rest is noise. People who do not like me will always find excuses."

Looking back to the 2005 F1 season, when Villeneuve and Felipe Massa were team mates at Sauber, the Brazilian beat the Canadian 11 to 7 in qualifying. Just saying...

 

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Gallery: All the pictures from Montreal

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Michael Delaney

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