Formula 1 has become “artificial” and is in danger of losing the respect of its fans, according to former world champion Jacques Villeneuve.
The 42-year-old Canadian, who won the 1997 title for Williams, criticised the DRS system and the decision to award double points in the final race.
“I don’t get modern Formula 1. They started going the artificial way to create a fake show,” he told BBC Sport.
He added drivers “lack personality” and should speak out against the changes.
Villeneuve – one of only three drivers to have won the Formula 1 world title, the Indycar Championship and the Indy 500 – believes the changes made to F1 since he left the sport in 2006 have not improved it.
A major change for the 2014 season is the decision to award double points at the final race in an attempt to heighten interest in the world championship.
DRS – drag reduction system – was introduced in 2011 to increase overtaking and in turn make F1 more exciting for its fans.
“Imposing DRS where you press a button to overtake someone else – once you start going down that route you cannot stop, you have to make more and more of it,” said Villeneuve.
“So now we have double points for the last race. What’s the next thing that will come?
“It becomes more and more artificial and instead of having a positive effect, you end up making it where people don’t respect it any more.”
Villeneuve, who will drive for Scottish team Albatec Racing in World Rallycross next season, believes too many of the current drivers are “highly uninteresting”.
“It’s a habit now to not have a personality any more in Formula 1,” he told BBC Radio 5 live Sport.
“You can imagine a driver that gets a lot of sponsor money being told ‘don’t say that please’ and he will toe the line.
“So they are not fast, paid to race and highly uninteresting on top of it. It is tough for F1 right now.”
