With seven world championships to his name, Lewis Hamilton is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. The British star dominated the 2010s of the sport, picking up six consecutive world championships with Mercedes. Nevertheless, 3 years after Hamilton’s 7th title win, former world champion Jacques Villeneuve claims that Max Verstappen has the edge over Hamilton’s legacy as the latter never had a perfect season during his winning run.
Max Verstappen has been on a seemingly unstoppable run for the last two years. The Dutchman recorded 15 Grand Prix wins last season, breaking the record for the highest no. of race wins in a single season. Building on his performances from last year, the 25-year-old has been in near-invincible form this season, winning 10 races out of 12 so far, while also registering eight wins on the trot.
Having already won two world titles, Verstappen is well on his way to winning his third. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton has been struggling with Mercedes’ performance issues so far this campaign.
Jacques Villeneuve prefers Max Verstappen over Lewis Hamilton
La Gazzetta reports former Williams driver Villeneuve suggests Hamilton has never been as dominant as Verstappen in his entire career. In his most successful season, the Briton won eleven races, while Verstappen has a record of 15 wins in a single season (2022).
“It varies from weekend to weekend with him, but it has always been that way, even in his most successful years. Lewis has never had a perfect year, as Verstappen seems to have now.”
Villeneuve also believes Verstappen is the more aggressive driver of the two. The 1997 champion pointed out that Hamilton’s performance varied every weekend. Even during his most successful seasons, Hamilton would perform according to his position on the driver’s standings.
Meanwhile, Verstappen has been ruthless in his performances, pushing himself to the limit every time he is on the track. Contrary to Villenueve’s words, however, Hamilton is widely considered to be one of the most aggressive drivers in the F1 lineup. He is famous for toying with drivers’ mentalities during important races.
Hamilton and Mercedes seem to have lost the winning edge
Lewis Hamilton has failed to stand on the top step of the podium since the penultimate race of the 2021 season. However, with the regulation changes of 2022, the Briton has failed to perform at his best with a new car. The latest designs of their cars have let Mercedes down time after time, with porpoising posing a major challenge to them throughout the 2022 season.
Mercedes have not lost confidence, though, as they continue to work hard towards improving their car and effectively turning their season around. However, they still haven’t found the right solution to these problems.
On the other hand, Red Bull has seen unprecedented success in the 2023 season. They have won all 12 races this year, with many expecting them to win all the remaining outings too. Verstappen has also seen tremendous success, winning 10 of the 12 races so far. He has also won eight consecutive races this season.
