Lewis Hamilton has been having a consistent performance since the last few seasons. He has been strictly dominant during races from start to end. His driving has been methodical with barely any spinning, leaving the track, or crashing into other cars.
But in Imola, he made a few mistakes that showed he is wary of competition. At least that is what Jacques Villeneuve thinks.
According to Villeneuve, Hamilton is unrivaled and that is a big reason for his fumbling. Just like his idol Ayrton Senna had Alain Prost, there is no one to truly challenge Hamilton.
However, Max Verstappen has been making his way towards the spotlight for some time now.
At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Max forced Hamilton to end up causing damage to his car by pushing him into the first corner. Then, during Lap 34, Hamilton tried to overtake Verstappen on a damp section of the track but found himself on the gravel.
These incidents seem to prove that Hamilton feels vulnerable taking risks.
“It’s going to be exciting. It was already seen at Imola that Lewis is no longer used to taking great risks,” said Villeneuve.
“But he has to do that now because, unlike in previous years, he has an opponent on an equal footing who also drives for another team.”
The Mercedes driver was able to stand on the podium that day thanks to his teammate Valtteri Bottas.
“The red flag that his teammate Valtteri Bottas raised, of all people, saved him. He was very lucky. He shouldn’t rely on that from now on,” Villeneuve advised Hamilton.
Do you think Hamilton will be challenged easily by Verstappen? Let us know in the comments below!
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