According to Jacques Villeneuve, Kimi Raikkonen did not deserve the title he won in 2007.
Kimi Raikkonen took the 2007 title for Ferrari, after overcoming a 17-point gap in the final two races of the season.
"If Kimi won the championship, he did it by luck, because he didn't deserve it. Felipe deserved it a lot more. He was always more capable than Kimi and it was easy to beat him," Jacques Villeneuve told Brazilian website TotalRace.
Despite his strong performances, the 1997 world champion explains he doesn't understand the criticisms around Felipe Massa.
"The problem is that Alonso arrived and, quickly, became powerful inside Ferrari. When it happens, it creates an energy that people put inside you, in this case, in Alonso. It seems that, if the car wins, it will be with him. It creates a difficult situation for the other driver, who has a double task. That's what Felipe has to do. He has the speed. He is capable of driving strongly, working in the car. I don't have any doubt about that," said the Canadian driver.
"But he needs to do even more, because it's Alonso's team, which is normal, given that he is a double world champion. That's the logic. If your team-mate is a double world champion, it's normal that the team will focus on him. He [Massa] has won races and almost a championship, maybe two. He's a great driver. Right now he is driving strongly for Ferrari. I don't get people who criticise him," added Jacques Villeneuve.
Kimi Raikkonen took the 2007 title for Ferrari, after overcoming a 17-point gap in the final two races of the season.
"If Kimi won the championship, he did it by luck, because he didn't deserve it. Felipe deserved it a lot more. He was always more capable than Kimi and it was easy to beat him," Jacques Villeneuve told Brazilian website TotalRace.
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| Kimi Räikkönen at the wheel of the F2007 - Photo: Ferrari |
Despite his strong performances, the 1997 world champion explains he doesn't understand the criticisms around Felipe Massa.
"The problem is that Alonso arrived and, quickly, became powerful inside Ferrari. When it happens, it creates an energy that people put inside you, in this case, in Alonso. It seems that, if the car wins, it will be with him. It creates a difficult situation for the other driver, who has a double task. That's what Felipe has to do. He has the speed. He is capable of driving strongly, working in the car. I don't have any doubt about that," said the Canadian driver.
"But he needs to do even more, because it's Alonso's team, which is normal, given that he is a double world champion. That's the logic. If your team-mate is a double world champion, it's normal that the team will focus on him. He [Massa] has won races and almost a championship, maybe two. He's a great driver. Right now he is driving strongly for Ferrari. I don't get people who criticise him," added Jacques Villeneuve.