Schumi blames Villeneuve for the booing

[BBKing]

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER sees his long-term rivalry with Jacques Villeneuve as the major cause for the boos, jeers and whistles that greeted him at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve during Saturday's qualifying and before Sunday's race on the drivers' parade.

Most observers believed that the noisy reaction resulted from the infamous last-corner position switch in the Austrian Grand Prix when Schumacher was handed victory by team-mate Rubens Barrichello in the final 100 yards of the race.

But the world champion disagrees. He believes there is more to it than that.

Their reaction, he told pressmen at Sundays' post-race press conference, was more likely to have been caused by the well-known dislike the home favourite Jacques Villeneuve and he are supposed to have for each other.

"I think certain supporters make a sport out of it. When you look at it from our point of view there's a competition between our supporters and our enemies. It's always been like this.

"And I've noticed it [the rivalry] has always been a little bit more in Montreal - and I guess there's a good reason for it.

"My past competitor, being Canadian, is obviously not my best friend, and the Canadians do sort of know that, I guess," he explained.

After the Austrian Grand Prix Villeneuve's condemnation of Schumacher was fierce. Jacques told Schumi that if he's going to accept the points and the team orders, he ought to be a man and take the criticism too, not push Rubens onto the top step of the podium.

Schumacher has allegedly told Ferrari bosses that he would not accept Villeneuve as a future team-mate, though the feeling is entirely mutual.

Creative thinking?

....LOL