Quote Originally Posted by dj_bytedisaster
The problem is that Williams lost just about everything after 1997. The Newey cars were so well designed, even people like Hill and Villeneuve could win in them. Suddenly Newey was gone, the works engine, too and I doubt Winfield payed as much as Rothmans. There was a resurgence with BMW, but even then it was more the engine and the Michelin advantage that saved them. In engineering terms they never recovered from Newey's departure.
I think that is a disrespectful comment. Hill and Villeneuve may not be on a plain with the greats of the sport but they were still world class drivers. A driver has to be capable of extracting the potential and keeping his head under pressure in order to win a WDC and there are many examples of drivers who have driven championship capable cars but failed to win under pressure.