Lewis Hamilton

Ex-world champion serves DAMNING criticism of Hamilton in Verstappen comparison

Joe Ellis Monday 3 July 2023 09:57

Jacques Villeneuve has simultaneously criticised Lewis Hamilton and bigger up Max Verstappen with his assessment of the rivals.

The 1997 F1 world champion has been far from impressed with the seven-time world champion this season despite him challenging for third in the standings with Fernando Alonso.

Villeneuve, the son of former Ferrari F1 driver Gilles Villeneuve, also believes that Verstappen is much closer to 'perfect' than Hamilton has ever been given his current run of results.

The Red Bull driver won his fifth race in succession at the Austrian Grand Prix while Hamilton laboured to seventh in his Mercedes, which was nursing a small brake issue for much of the event.

Jacques Villeneuve has been racing in the World Endurance Championship this season for Floyd Vanwall

Up and down

"He goes a lot up and down in performance, it depends on the weekends," Villeneuve said to Gazzetta Dello Sport.

"But it's always been like this, in all seasons, even when he won. He's never had a year as perfect as Verstappen."

In the nine races so far this season, Verstappen has won seven of them and come home right behind his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in the other two.

In fact, the Dutchman has more points on his own than any other manufacturer in the standings does between both of their drivers.

Latest News

F1 Social

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc leave Mickey Mouse hanging and he looks devastated

Yesterday 22:56

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

F1 Practice Today: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025 start times, schedule, TV channel and live stream

Yesterday 21:56

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

McLaren Abu Dhabi team orders labelled 'unacceptable' by F1 star

Yesterday 21:12

Latest F1 News

Lewis Hamilton 'surprised he's still standing' after disastrous year at Ferrari

Yesterday 20:27

McLaren

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri pull out of F1 media duties as pressure mounts at Abu Dhabi GP

Yesterday 19:43

FIA News

FIA presidential election result at risk of being overturned after legal action

Yesterday 18:57

More news

GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.

We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.

With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.

Follow us on your favorite social media channel

Corporate & Media

Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860