Lewis Hamilton F1 news: Jacques Villeneuve makes astonishing number two driver claim

Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell pose for a photo together, smiling — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 champion makes astonishing Hamilton number two driver claim

A F1 champion has revealed their thoughts on Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes struggles

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 11 June 2024 10:57 Updated: 23:14

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Jacques Villeneuve has made an astonishing claim after comparing Lewis Hamilton to his Mercedes team-mate George Russell.

The seven-time world champion has been out-qualified by Russell 8-1 this season, with the younger driver achieving pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix.

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During a cryptic interview with Sky in Monaco, Hamilton inferred Russell was receiving preferential treatment at Mercedes in relation to their upgrades.

Both Russell and Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff, have rebuffed these claims, with Hamilton receiving said upgrades to his car in Canada.

Hamilton revealed he was unlikely to beat Russell again in qualifying this season

Russell and Toto Wolff have denied any claims of favouritism

Why is Hamilton struggling at Mercedes?

Hamilton has frequently tweaked the set-up of his Mercedes this season to try and improve their performance, often to no avail.

Additionally, the 39-year-old has struggled to get his tyres to work during grand prix weekends, key to unlocking the pace of the W15 in Canada.

The 1997 world champion, Jacques Villeneuve, provided his thoughts on Hamilton’s recent performance, and established who was currently the better Mercedes driver.

"That taste for Lewis at Mercedes is now stale. Every driver has a preference with their car. Max will be quick in any car but he will be quicker in a car that suits him. Lewis is in the situation where the car is not doing what he is expecting it to, so he is always second guessing,” Villeneuve said after qualifying in Canada.

Villeneuve claims Russell is the 'better' Mercedes driver

"There is always more thought process going into his driving which can leave you a thousandth of a second behind and that will make you just that little bit slower. It makes it very difficult to set the car up because you cannot pinpoint what the issue is."

“To be honest that started the first season George was there and had the upper hand on Lewis. George has been a better driver than Lewis since he arrived there. Lewis has won so much and when you’re not winning it can be dull and frustrating. The same thing happened when Ricciardo joined Vettel."