Former F1 Driver Points to Hamilton’s Fortunes Despite Making More Mistakes Than Verstappen

After winning four drivers’ championships on a trot and equaling Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world championships last year, Lewis Hamilton is struggling more often than ever this season.

The intense title fight between the Briton and Max Verstappen continues as the latter leads the championship by just six points. And with six races remaining this year, Hamilton is under a lot of pressure, which is evident from the unusually high number of mistakes he has made this season.

However, 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes that even though Lewis had made more mistakes this year, he has paid a lower price for them compared to Verstappen.

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What did Jacques Villeneuve say?

During an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, as quoted by SpeedWeek, the former Williams driver said, “The score does not show the current status but pay a lower price compared to Verstappen.

“Just think of the losses of Verstappen in Hungary and Great Britain. Mercedes had an easy time there, although Hamilton was not quite up to date.

“On other slopes, such as the circuit in Istanbul, they weren’t as fast, or they made mistakes. Nevertheless, the drivers are close to each other in the overall standings,” concluded the 50-year-old Canadian. (Translated via Google Translate)

Lewis Hamilton could take another engine penalty: Toto Wolff

Ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix, Mercedes announced that the Briton will serve a 10-place grid penalty for changing the internal combustion system. Meanwhile, the Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, is not ruling out another engine penalty for Hamilton this season.

“It can last until the end of the season. But there could be a moment where we say is it worth taking a fresh one because the other one is still at risk. So this is something that is going to be really a work in progress,” said Wolff.

“It’s seven [now six] tough races ahead of us. Let’s see how the points pan out. I would never say no, but normally four engines looks quite sufficient,” added the Mercedes boss.

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As the championship battle gets tighter and tighter, can Lewis Hamilton end the year without making more mistakes? What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.