"F1 has become a corporate sport and corporations don't want human beings driving, they want robots," the Canadian told Motorsport News.

"What they don't understand is that they won't have any fans watching if they keep doing that.

"The sport is short of characters," added Villeneuve, who drives for British American Racing.

Let's be honest, even Colin McRae couldn't do much worse than the drivers currently at Jaguar Jacques Villeneuve

"Losing Jean Alesi hurt the sport. If Eddie Irvine doesn't find a drive next season that will hurt the business too. It's sad."

Villeneuve singled out Williams' Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya as an exception.

"But a lot of the other drivers haven't even sweated to get into F1," he said.

"All the other drivers are picked out of Formula Ford because the corporation thinks it can give them the personality it wants."

Villeneuve suggested that characters such as British rally driver Colin McRae or Italian motorcycling champion Valentino Rossi would give the sport's profile a healthy boost.

"Let's be honest, even Colin McRae couldn't do much worse than the drivers currently at Jaguar (Mark Webber and Antonio Pizzonia)," said Villeneuve.

'Dream team'

Villeneuve's contract with BAR ends after this coming season and he is widely expected to leave the team who have not won a Grand Prix since their F1 debut in 1999.

His manager Craig Pollock would like to see him and Michael Schumacher as team-mates.

"Jacques belongs on one of the top four teams," said Pollock.

"What I'd like to see is Schumacher and Villeneuve together - not for Jacques or for Schumacher but for the sport.

"The only way when there's one team so far ahead is to have two drivers battle each other on the same team."

Schumacher has a contract with Ferrari until the end of 2004, as does his current Brazilian team-mate Rubens Barrichello.

Former world champion Villeneuve has had several run-ins with Schumacher over the years, most notably when the German tried to run him off the track in the 1997 European Grand Prix.

Villeneuve's late father Gilles was one of Ferrari's most celebrated drivers, although it is not thought likely that Jacques will sign for the Italian team.