After another complicated weekend for the Mercedes team at Imola, 1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes the German manufacturer’s team must now learn to lose after dominating Formula 1 for the past eight seasons, and goes as far as saying that Hamilton could well walk sooner rather than later.
Last Sunday at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Mercedes was able to salvage a good result with George Russell finishing fourth, but the German manufacturer’s team was never able to challenge for victory or pole position at the Italian track. Worse still, their star driver Lewis Hamilton left Imola without having managed to score a single point as he finished fourteenth on Saturday in the Sprint race and thirteenth on Sunday in the main race. In the world championship, Mercedes lost second place last weekend to Red Bull, and the reigning world champion team is now third, 47 points behind championship leader Scuderia Ferrari.
After the fourth round of the year, Jacques Villeneuve believes that Mercedes must now come to terms with the fact that they have to learn to lose:
“Mercedes must now learn to lose anyway. For years they have been pushing everyone, and if someone got close they would just open the throttle, but this year they don’t have that advantage anymore,” says Jacques Villeneuve in his regular column for Formula1.nl.
“George Russell is doing a good job in his role as an outsider, he has learned a lot at Williams, while Hamilton has always had something to fight for,
“A while ago I was already wondering how they were going to handle this internally in the team. At Imola you could see that [Mercedes team boss] Toto Wolff is struggling to control himself. His radio message after the race spoke volumes. It wasn’t just about Hamilton, it was about everyone. A bad result for Russell doesn’t generate criticism, but for Hamilton it does,
“That’s the risk of having such a megastar in your team. Hamilton wasn’t on the pace all weekend, and he didn’t look very aggressive either, like he couldn’t fight. That he ends up getting passed [by the race leader] can happen, it’s the sum total of all the factors plus having a bad car.
“I don’t think he’ll continue to have such terrible weekends and he’ll beat Russell, but it’s not easy being the Mercedes team leader at the moment,
“Do you have to pick your megastar, your standard bearer, the record-breaking champion with the international image, who costs you a mega salary? Or do you have to develop the car for a promising talent [Russell]? A big star like that is great if you win – it gives you a lot of exposure. But if he doesn’t win, the backlash is so much bigger,
“A champion has no right not to be competitive.”
Jacques Villeneuve also wondered about Lewis Hamilton’s future and whether the British driver would end his career prematurely:
“Will Hamilton still be around in two or three years? Will he even make it to the end of this season? You can’t be in someone’s head, but you can be depressed to the point where you can’t handle not winning anymore,
“So maybe it’s time to decide that life is better without racing. We’ve been surprised in the past, it’s happened that champions have had enough sometimes.”
I always liked Jacques Villeneuve, especially when Schumacher tried to repeat his driving his rival off the track manoeuvre as with Damon Hill. this time Villeneuve rebuffed him and Schumacher was disqualified, happy days.
He does make a great point though, Hamilton must be regretting coming back so soon as he isn’t ready, he looks like he is driving in a trance and must hate being lapped. I still believe he has one more good attempt at that eighth title but obviously not this year. If he can get himself back up to speed, take his time like Rocky he can come back with a better car and get that eight title he deserves and then retire setting a record no one will beat.
The Conspiracy theory said:
Because Hamilton can be the Only one to win 8 titles and he’s a black man.
The People behind the World rules they don’t want it .Could be.
It is not surprising that Hamilton is so disillusioned when after sacking Masi the FIA did not finish the job and strip Verstappen of the title and award it to Hamilton. Obviously things haven’t been helped by the uncompetitive was of his car the year.
Lmao the dribble you spill from your mouth is hilarious, almost as hilarious as saying it was Hamilton and not the car that won 6 championships lmao (the first was combination of factors) the Mercedes championships where clearly the car, justlook at what GR did in Hmiltons car when Lewis had covid….GR would have won if not for the team screwing him oer
Pick yourselves up and dust yourselves down champions aren’t made lying down on the ground
AS Martin Brundle said in Brazil 2021 before the events of Abu Dhabi. “A championship is won over a season, not one race.”
I’ve met Martin Brundle and he is a Hamilton fan albeit he doesn’t agree with how he handles himself but he does believe Lewis is the GOAT. People like Dax who knows nothing of racing but just hates Lewis are only bad for this site as they aren’t interested in racing just rubbishing Lewis. If this is going to be a F1 racing debating site we need rid of people like Dax and more people that like racing. Also your comment Judge, Lewis came back after Max was in a superior car to match him with one race to go but in reality Max should have been disqualified in Jeddah but Netflix put paid to that. The whole season was panned out like a bad movie and the last race was fiction itself, I still don’t know how Max had the nerve to collect that trophy and all genuine racing fans would agree.
Hamilton should have retired at the end of the 2021 season .. the essential rule is to step aside when you’re on top. He took a risk not to, will now be remembered as the driver who was thoroughly upstaged by a rookie driver and his total image and legacy will be tarnished by the non-performance of the Mercedes team.
Typical JV.
It’s so weird. What’s happening with MB. Kind of agree with JV
All these so called ex-F1 drivers giving their opinions, Nico Rosberk, jaques Villeneuve and Mika Hakkinen driving me mad. Unless you know fir sure shut the feck up. I think this and I think that, well we all know how Nico thinks and it isn’t anywhere near what Lewis thinks. And Jaques and Mika have been out of F1 for so long they’re no longer experts any more than I am. And I can say I go back to watching Clark and Hill in the Lotus Cortinas. And have met Colin Chapman, Niki Lauda & James Hunt. So, unless you know for sure keep your opinions to yourself. Rant over.
Hamilton time will come Be patience ignore what they saying.
This season has exposed the mediocrity (as well as the petulance and inflated sense of self-importance) of “Sir” (cough, cough) Lewis Hamilton. The car has won 7 championships, Hamilton just happened to be behind the wheel at the time. Give him a car similar to the others…and it’s clear that half a dozen superior drivers are out there. Time to go, Lewis. Not the GOAT after all.
You really don’t like Hamilton at all, do you! The fact that the whole post is just absolute hateful crap, doesn’t seem to matter to you. Why pay drivers millions of pounds a year when according to you, anyone can just drive the car! Why don’t you ask Bottas that, he would laugh you out of the room! Many notable ex drivers all think Hamilton is the GOAT including a few ex champions but of course you know better.
By the way, you are confused about who is petulant and full of self importance. Who was voted 2021 Biggest Whinger in F1, I’ll give you a clue it wasn’t Hamilton, it was someone he sulks and whines almost as much as he crashes. Yes it’s your very own ‘Human Error’ champion.
Again.”Hateful crap is not acceptable”. I won’t allow the comments section here to be corrupted by this aggressive attitude. LAST WARNING!!!!
Still think he was robbed last year. By a complete shambles in the shocking decision to allow max to even take the tittle. This has hit the guy hard. Mentally he’s just not in it. He is by far the best f1 racer there has been. I agree that now he has a bog standard car he is struggling. If I was him I’d walk. I for one think that it has become very boring to watch. Intact it’s put myself to sleep the last two racers. Moto gp is by far more exciting, and what was the stupid sprint qualification about. On a Friday before the cars have even practised. Hamilton in my eyes is an 8 time world champion. If I was max I couldn’t call myself a champion. OK this year if he wins then fair play. Sorry to say bit f1 is a joke hardly any overtaking zzzzzzzzz
I totally agree and refreshing to see one of the most factual and honest posts on this page. So much better than all this Hamilton hating crap which is about as honest as the FIA.
As Martin Brundle said 3 weeks before AD…. “A championship is won or lost over a whole season -not just one race”