Jacques Villeneuve: “Lewis Hamilton is trying not to drown”
The 1997 world champion believes that with George Russell's performances at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton no longer has the same status.
Unlike previous seasons, Lewis Hamilton is quite far from the lead. The years of undisputed domination are now a thing of the past. And George Russell’s performances, who is the only driver on the 2022 grid to consistently finish in the Top 5 this season, don’t help matters.
« I think we have witnessed the last changing of the guard at Mercedes. George Russell is riding the wave, while Lewis Hamilton is trying not to drown, says former 1997 world champion with Williams.
The Canadian believes that the seven-time world champion should drive like he did during his first two years. This is something that George Russell does, and he takes risks that pay off, as we saw during the Miami Grand Prix where he decided to wait for a potential Safety Car before making a pit stop.
The consultant for Canal+ assumes that losing the title last year, to the benefit of Max Verstappen, was a heavy burden for him and that he feels robbed.
« The luck of champion Lewis seems to have left him, he doesn’t have the momentum and nothing is going his way. It’s going to be a tough battle, but Lewis is a racer and a champion. He knows what needs to be done and we’ll see if he still has the energy to do it. »
In the standings, the British driver only has 36 small points, compared to 59 for his teammate. He even has a 68-point deficit behind the current championship leader, Charles Leclerc.
