Is Lewis Hamilton the greatest F1 driver? Jacques Villeneuve gives his take

Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve said Lewis Hamilton is the driver who will leave the 'greatest mark on history' out of all that have competed in F1 previously. The Canadian then went on to add that it is difficult to compare drivers across eras, especially since the older drivers took greater risks to their lives by simply competing in the sport.

X user @simsgazette shared a clip from an interview on Friday, in which journalist Laurent Dupin showed Jacques Villeneuve an old image of himself with a very young Lewis Hamilton. The Canadian driver then shared his admiration for the 7x world champion.

Dupin also asked Villeneuve if he considers Hamilton as the greatest ever F1 driver, to which the 54-year-old replied saying:

"He's (Hamilton) the one who will have left the greatest mark on history. The greatest after that, it's hard to say," Villeneuve said. [Translated from French via Google]

"Because, how can you compare a driver from the 2000s, 2020s, to a driver from the 50s, 60s, to a Fangio? The eras are too different, the risk-taking is too different. A driver who survived and won back then, wow, like Jackie Stewart, that's impressive," he added.

Jacques Villeneuve finished second in the 1996 F1 drivers' standings, in his very first year in the sport. He was runner-up only to teammate Damon Hill, and Williams claimed the constructors' title with a massive 105-point lead.

The Canadian then went on to claim his first and only world championship title the following year, after the infamous incident with Michael Schumacher at the season-concluding European Grand Prix, when the German deliberately crashed into the side of his Williams. Villeneuve managed to finish the race in P3 and claim the title as Schumacher had to retire on the spot.

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Lewis Hamilton struggles for grip during Bahrain GP FP1 session

Lewis Hamilton during the FP1 session - Grand Prix of Bahrain - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton came over to the team radio to complain about the balance and grip of his Ferrari during the first practice session of the Bahrain GP on Friday. The 7x world champion ended the session in P3, over half a second behind Lando Norris in first.

Multiple F1 teams made the decision to bring in their test drivers during the FP1 session at the Bahrain GP, as Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Fernando Alonso, Oliver Bearman, and Carlos Sainz did not take part. It was largely an unrepresentative session due to the same, and the teams only did a few soft tire runs at the end of the session.

Lewis Hamilton's early season struggles with his Ferrari continued, as the Briton came over the team radio to say that he was struggling with the balance and grip in the car, adding:

'Feels like the car is not working at all, but it's probably just the grip of the tires."

Nonetheless, the session ended somewhat positively for Hamilton, as the 40-year-old managed to get into the top 3 of the session, with a 1.33:800 second lap time on his soft tire run. The Briton will be hoping for an improved drive and result at the Bahrain GP, as Ferrari have brought an upgraded floor to the SF-25 this weekend.