Verstappen puts on the pressure: 'I see fatigue in Hamilton and Mercedes'

Max Verstappen leads the world championship, but Jacques Villeneuve thinks his lead should have been much bigger. The Canadian sees a tired Lewis Hamilton making more and more mistakes.

Luck for Hamilton

In 2021 there is finally a title fight again between two drivers from two different teams. That also means there will be real pressure on Mercedes and Hamilton again. Villeneuve sees Hamilton struggling more and more to keep up with Verstappen, but also thinks he's had enough luck to keep the gap so small.

"The points in the standings do not reflect the real situation. Lewis Hamilton made a lot of mistakes and paid a low price, unlike Max Verstappen. I think about what happened to him in Hungary and before that at Silverstone", stressed the Canadian to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Update from Mercedes

"Of course, so far Verstappen and Red Bull's season has been simply perfect, while I see fatigue in Lewis and his team. Strategies? In the past, Mercedes didn't need to get them right because they won anyway. Like Michael Schumacher's Ferrari: Everyone said they were geniuses, even when the strategy was wrong, but they were so much stronger that they won anyway. Moreover, driver and team do not seem to be as united as before."

However, Mercedes should not be discounted says Villeneuve. "In Turkey Lewis had the biggest wing and yet on the straights no one could keep up with him. Maybe they've upped the engine power since there are only a few races left. And if they keep it until the end of the season... With that engine, Hamilton will do well in Austin and Brazil, which will be an incredible help", concluded the 1997 world champion.