Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has questioned Lewis Hamilton’s actual ability behind his seven Drivers’ Championship wins after losing the privilege of a ‘perfect car’. After eight successive constructors’ triumphs, Mercedes are way off Ferrari and Red Bull’s pace in what feels like a changing of the guard at the start of a new era.
Toto Wolff has spearheaded a dominant force over the last decade, helping Hamilton level Michael Schumacher’s record seven world titles, including six in the last eight years. But their hopes of topping either standing this season have faded in the opening weeks.
Mercedes’ car looked midfield-worthy at best in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and Hamilton was shockingly eliminated during Q1 on Saturday. The Brit rose from 15th on the grid to 10th in Sunday’s Saudi GP, whilst Russell finished fifth, putting him under scrutiny.
And Villeneuve has stated that Hamilton can no longer be saved by Mercedes’ ‘superior engine’ when he endures a lousy day on the track. He told Formule 1, as per GrandPX.News: “It’s obvious that Mercedes has fallen off the pedestal.
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“For years, bad weekends could be camouflaged by their superior engine. That is no longer the case. It will be interesting how the team will react, because Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton are not used to this. But we can already say that competing for the title is no longer an option. Lewis has always had a perfect car. He never had to push because they were so much faster.”
The French-Canadian also backed George Russell to challenge Hamilton as Mercedes’ number one driver after finishing five places higher at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. He cited his three-year experience in a troublesome Williams car, whilst the 37-year-old drove the fastest car on the grid, as a primary reason.
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Another ex-F1 driver, Ralf Schumacher, has agreed that Russell will be up for the fight to dust off his status as the Silver Arrows’ second driver. “Russell is also showing that Hamilton has a teammate at eye-level, which will be exciting to watch,” the German explained. “Russell is not someone who will be content with his current position of the second driver.”
And Schumacher is also on Villeneuve’s side when it comes to Mercedes’ world title hopes, tipping a Ferrari or Red Bull winner this year. He continued: “But the championship is very far away from them now. By the time they can compete again, Leclerc and Verstappen will be too far ahead.”
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