"But the latter leaves me cold": When Damon Hill talked about the conflict he faces when judging Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher is regarded as one of the greatest drivers to have ever graced the F1 grid, but his driving left a chunk of drivers polarized within the paddock. After losing the 1994 championship to the German due to a controversial crash, Damon Hill explained in his book how his rival's attitude left him cold.

Schumacher made his debut in 1991 and was quickly snubbed by Benetton. The Enstone-based squad helped him mount a challenge for his maiden title in 1994, and at the final race of the season, both he and Williams' Damon Hill were in contention for the championship.

With the two being separated by a solitary point, it meant that whoever finished ahead of the other would win his maiden championship. However, this clause led to one of the most controversial clashes in the history of F1 in Adelaide, as both cars were ruled out of the race after the incident.

This allowed Schumacher to win his first championship, leaving Hill with the consolation prize of being the runner-up. Reflecting on the German's way of handling stuff, the Briton wrote, via Autosport:

"There are two things that set Michael apart from the rest of the drivers in Formula One - his sheer talent and his attitude. I am full of admiration for the former, but the latter leaves me cold."

Michael Schumacher won in the 1994 clash, but the same didn't happen years later when he tried out a similar act in 1997 against Jacques Villeneuve.

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Jacques Villeneuve once asserted that Michael Schumacher "isn't a great champion"

Michael Schumacher - Source: Getty

Jacques Villeneuve and Michael Schumacher were involved in a close championship battle in 1997. The two arrived at Jerez within a single point of each other again.

The F1 sphere got flashbacks from the 1994 clash when Schumacher crashed into Villeneuve. However, this time, the German's antics did not play out in his favor, and he was ultimately disqualified from the championship.

Reflecting on his rivalry with the seven-time champion and his tactics in the paddock, the Canadian driver bashed at Schumacher in an interview, via The Guardian:

"Michael simply isn't a great champion because he's played too many dirty tricks and because he isn't a great human being. Yes, Senna played dirty tricks too but he did it with more class, more integrity. When he took Prost out [in the Japanese grand prix] at Suzuka in 1990, he said he was going to do it before the race."

"Senna wasn't lying to the fans. Michael was. And the sad thing is that, of course, the fans accept it - they swear black is white, in fact - just so that they can go on respecting the sport they love. And Michael takes advantage of that loyalty."

Despite losing out to Villeneuve in 1997, Schumacher went on to win five more world championships between 2000-04, establishing himself as one of the greats within the sport.