Formula 1: Jacques Villeneuve makes another ridiculous claim about Charles Leclerc

Jacques Villeneuve made yet another ridiculous claim about Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc after making one last summer.

Last summer, 1997 Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve made the claim that Charles Leclerc, then a rookie driving for Alfa Romeo Sauber, would be “eaten alive” by four-time champion Sebastian Vettel if he replaced 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen as his teammate at Scuderia Ferrari for the 2019 season.

The 21-year-old Monegasque did end up replacing the 39-year-old Finn as the teammate to the 31-year-old German ahead of the 2019 season.

Here is what Villeneuve had to say about the matter before this was confirmed, according to Formula 1.

"“Look at the work [Kimi’s] been doing. He’s third in the championship, he’s often quicker than Vettel and when he’s not he’s just a tenth behind. He’s paramount in the development of the car. The whole team works fantastically well now.“Put a young ‘cub’ next to Vettel and what will Vettel do? He’ll try to eat him alive. Either he will destroy the young cub or it will end in tears and the whole team will end up going slower within two years. That’s not constructive.“Charles is still making a few mistakes. It would be amazing for him [to go to Ferrari], but it would be two years of Ferrari preparing him. Ferrari, like Mercedes, is not a team to prepare drivers. It’s a top team. Top teams they pay for the drivers when they are at their best and when they want them. That’s why you have junior teams, to prepare them.”"

Here is what he recently added following the first four races of the 21-race 2019 season, according to Motorsport.

"“If you listen to any fan or go on the forums, even the qualifying accident [in Baku], Leclerc doesn’t get criticised. If it had been Vettel, he would have been destroyed by the media and everyone, for the same mistake.“Ultimately I think that’s having a negative effect for the team. Seb’s spin in Bahrain came because of that, then the team orders in China, it all comes from there. And Leclerc’s accident in qualifying also, wanting to prove that he’s the number one of the team. Ultimately that’s damaging the whole team.“I hope it re-balances out, because they should have been the one that’s being chased by Mercedes, and instead they’ve got three podiums, and that’s it. It’s not had a good positive effect on the team, that’s all.”"