Jacques Villeneuve, former F1 world champion, boldly asserts that, despite his peak performance with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton has always lacked the unwavering consistency exhibited by the formidable “war machine” Max Verstappen.
The Dutch driver’s remarkable performance continued with his fifth consecutive victory in the Austrian Grand Prix, further solidifying Red Bull’s dominance in 2023 with nine straight wins.
Verstappen has now surged ahead in the Drivers’ standings, boasting an impressive 80-point lead over his teammate Sergio Perez.
The Dutch sensation’s recent triumph marks an incredible achievement, having secured victory in 32 out of the last 53 races, dating back to his maiden title-winning season in 2021.
Since the penultimate round of 2021, Lewis Hamilton has been unable to secure a victory, despite his impressive track record of six titles in seven years with Mercedes since the advent of F1’s V6 hybrid era in 2014.
Jacques Villeneuve, in his assessment of Hamilton’s performance in the 2023 season, highlights a recurring pattern of inconsistency throughout the British driver’s career when compared to the unwavering consistency of Max Verstappen.
The 52-year-old describes Verstappen as a “war machine” and a “robot,” emphasizing his relentless determination and unyielding performance on the track.
“He goes very up and down in performance, it depends on the weekends. But he’s always been like that, every season, even when he was winning. He’s never had a perfect year like Verstappen, ” he explained in an interview with Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport.
When questioned about his thoughts on Max Verstappen’s remarkable and unwavering level of performance, Jacques Villeneuve expressed his belief that only Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso stands as a worthy contender on the grid, capable of matching the reigning World Champion’s sheer intensity and prowess.
“No, amazed, no. He always has an extraordinary energy, he never gives up. And he makes a difference,” He added.
“Verstappen has always been like that, for years. He’s at his best for the whole season. It’s hallucinating how he does it, maybe only Alonso was comparable.
“If you look at most of the other drivers they all have ups and downs, often with quite a bit of difference between them. Not him.
“I really don’t know where he gets all that energy from. When he is like that, which is practically all the time, he is unbeatable.”“If you look at most of the other drivers they all have ups and downs, often with quite a bit of difference between them. Not him.
“I really don’t know where he gets all that energy from. When he is like that, which is practically all the time, he is unbeatable.”
villeneuve has always discriminated against Lewis, who GAS what he thinks!