Villeneuve doesn't regret harsh Stroll comments

Jacques Villeneuve is not sorry for the comments he made surrounding Lance Stroll at the start of the season. The 1997 F1 world champion was highly critical of the abilities of Stroll who failed to match the pace of veteran teammate Felip Massa.

Stroll collected his first points score of the season in Canada and one race later, produced a strong performance to claim his first podium in F1 - in only his eighth race.

"I was critical of him early in the season because of his results," 46-year-old Villeneuve told Le Journal de Montreal. "It's that simple. Why should I have praised him? My role is to report the facts, not to defend a driver. When you're a second slower than your teammate, you cannot say it's brilliant. Why would people be offended about that? It's the truth."

Stroll retaliated to Villeneuve, claiming that he never has anything positive to say. Despite his comments, Villeneuve recognised that the 18-year-old's most recent performance have been much stronger.

"Absolutely," he said. "And I am the first to admit it. In Canada, he was not very fast but he managed his race well. It took a lot of pressure off his shoulders.

"In Baku it was even better. There were problems in front of him but he kept his composure. That was in contrast to his early season, when he committed multiple mistakes. But it does not erase his bad results from before Montreal, so I don't regret anything I said. Yes, it was pathetic at times," Villeneuve added.

Fergal Walsh