“Spoilt rich kid”, “Brat”, and “Privileged” are some names the F1 community uses for Lance Stroll. Of course, being the son of a billionaire dad has done more damage than good. His secured seat at Aston Martin is also considered a gift from Papa Stroll. However, his compatriot- fellow Canadian Jacques Villeneuve has contrasting opinions. Looks like the 1997 F1 world champion believes in Lance Stroll a bit more than the rest of the F1 world.

We know how brutal Villeneuve’s opinions can be at times. He never backs out from speaking his mind. Earlier this year, the F1 veteran took his ‘sweet’ time to thrash Visa Cash App RB driver, Daniel Ricciardo. And now, he is extending his support for Stroll Jr. and even thinks he’s as good as Fernando Alonso.

The Aston Martin supremo has the right to put Lance Stroll in the car

A few points sum up the picture Jacques Villeneuve is trying to paint here. First, Fernando Alonso’s performance dropped this season. Unlike the 2023 season, Alonso has been struggling more than usual. On the other hand, Lawrence Stroll‘s son has improved considerably. If you look at the points table, you’ll see the margin between the teammates- it will speak louder than random opinion polls. Meanwhile, Villeneuve tells honestly what he thinks of his compatriot Stroll. “Lance Stroll is one of the drivers who most deserves to continue driving in Formula 1 because his father bought the team.”

Speaking with INSTANTCASINO.com, the Canadian champ added: “Aston Martin could have gone bankrupt without the help of Lawrence Stroll.” According to him, that gives the Canadian businessman the right to put his son in the car. Villeneuve says this is a simple explanation for Stroll’s continuation in F1 and deserves to be in the same. However, the time has come for F1’s brat to show his skills. He was once the Formula 3 champion, and everybody knows how quick he can be.

“Lance is not last and he is not slow,” the former champion continued. “He is at the level of Fernando Alonso.” Villeneuve believes that Lance may be as good as his teammate, especially since Alonso’s struggles with the recent updates on the AMR24, caused him to finish behind the Canadian several times. “Since the moment Alonso signed a contract extension, he has been struggling,” Villeneuve asserted. “Lance seems to be the better driver since then.”

However, Jacques Villeneuve sends out a warning disguised as advice. “Lance knows he’s driving in Formula 1 because his father bought the team,” Villeneuve emphasized. “Now he has to show that he’s fast.” Lance Stroll is not the first driver born in a billionaire’s home. Drivers like Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda, and more have grown up with a silver spoon in their mouths. However, “He[Lance Stroll] has to realize that there were other drivers who were millionaires and had the same privileges. Lance is lucky, there’s nothing wrong with that,” concluded the Canadian icon.

Meanwhile, Villeneuve’s contrasting opinions on two subpar drivers of the current season can receive tough criticism and thought-provoking questions. Here’s why…

Jacques Villeneuve went all-out on Daniel Ricciardo but chose a softer approach for his compatriot

“Why’s he still in F1?” Jacques Villeneuve asked this question and continued to thrash Daniel Ricciardo ahead of the Canadian GP qualifiers earlier this year. The 1997 champ failed to understand why Ricciardo was still in the sport when his contribution had decreased throughout the years. This harsh criticism faced retaliation from the Honey Badger, himself. He admitted he was “disappointed” by the criticism given that Villeneuve was a former F1 driver himself and knows the difficulty of the job.

Back then Danny Ric was at his lowest, and maybe Villeneuve’s comments channeled the boost he needed and performed well in Montreal. However, comparing the comments on the VCARB racer and Lance Stroll, the AMR driver is given an additional edge. And fans might not like this. Why?

Many critics believe, Stroll doesn’t put his heart and soul into the sport all thanks to his ‘permanently’ secured seat in Aston Martin. This is one of the many reasons why he receives flak. Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo has been in F1 for over a decade and shows the same dedication. How accurate this judgment is, we can’t say. But Villeneuve’s imbalance in criticism could be a source of new controversies.

We are yet to discover Lance Stroll and Daniel Ricciardo’s full potential this season. While Stroll remains in a higher position on the table than Danny Ric, it’s easy to understand that the Canadian has improved a lot this season. And maybe, the second half of the season will reveal more about the two drivers. What do you think?