LONDON, June 6 - Canadian Jacques Villeneuve has broken ranks with Formula One's other ex-champions in criticising Lewis Hamilton's driving.

Lewis Hamilton [Reuters]

Speaking to Britain's Autosport magazine before Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix, where Hamilton will be chasing his sixth podium finish in six races, the 1997 champion said the 22-year-old McLaren rookie's aggressive starts were a concern.

"When will these chopping moves stop," asked Villeneuve, who left Formula One last August when BMW Sauber replaced him mid-season with Poland's Robert Kubica.

"Lewis is not getting penalised for these things and his behaviour off the startline has started to look the way Michael used to," he added, referring to Ferrari's now retired seven-times champion Michael Schumacher.

Schumacher, Villeneuve's foe since the German tried to ram him off the track in in the deciding race of 1997, was often criticised in his illustrious career for his uncompromising driving.

"So far he (Hamilton) has been lucky, so we'll see if it carries on," continued Villeneuve. "He makes progressive moves that would have got some of the drivers black-flagged.

"Lewis is very fast, but he still has to step up to the plate and beat Alonso. And we still haven't seen how he reacts under pressure; that will be interesting to watch."

Hamilton has had unprecedented success as a rookie and is the only driver in Formula One history to have finished his first five races on the podium. He has beaten Alonso in two of the last three races.

The Briton is level with Alonso on points at the top of the standings and has also led every race so far, and claimed a fastest lap in the process, while former champions have lined up to praise his achievements.

Villeneuve, son of the late Ferrari great Gilles, also made a sensational debut with Williams in 1996 when he started on pole position in Australia and finished second. He then won his fourth race.

However the Canadian came into the sport with more of a track record than Hamilton, having already won the Indy 500 as well as the U.S.-based CART series.