F1 champion DISAGREES with Lewis Hamilton Red Bull claim

Hamilton, las vegas, 2023 — Photo: © LAT Images

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F1 champion DISAGREES with Hamilton Red Bull claim

Jacques Villeneuve believes Red Bull can be caught

Cal Gaunt

Friday 15 December 2023 09:12 Updated: 11:42

Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve remains optimistic about the prospect of a rival team catching Red Bull, contrary to the somewhat pessimistic outlook expressed by Lewis Hamilton.

The seven-time world champion driver has consistently voiced his belief that the reigning champions will remain unbeatable until the implementation of technical regulation changes in 2026.

The year 2023 was nothing short of spectacular for Red Bull. The Milton Keynes outfit unveiled the formidable RB19 at the Bahrain season opener, and over nine months, the machine etched its name into the annals of Formula 1 history.

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Red Bull's dominance saw them secure victory in 21 out of the 22 grands prix held last season. Max Verstappen, at the helm for 19 of these triumphs, shattered nearly every available record on his path to clinching a remarkable third consecutive drivers' championship title.

Lewis Hamilton believes Red Bull are too far ahead of their rivals

Lewis Hamilton has been unable to match the performances of Max Verstappen and Red Bull in recent seasons

Jacques Villeneuve insists Red Bull can be caught

Villeneuve disagrees with Hamilton

Villeneuve, however, believes Hamilton is wrong about Red Bull streaking off into the distance in the coming years.

"Red Bull is not that far ahead," he told PlanetF1. "When they got all their poles, it was a tenth, half a tenth… super close. So that’s not domination.

"That’s not the years of Mercedes when they were a second ahead of everyone, and everybody was OK with that, there was not an issue."

“Max makes the difference because he’s at it 24 hours a day. He’s never getting tired. He gets out for the race car, and he’s still thinking about racing.

"That’s all that exists. If they all focused like Max, then maybe they would be at Max’s level.”

Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Formula 1 Jacques Villeneuve