Lewis Hamilton has made mistakes but gotten away with them, feels former F1 champ Jacques Villeneuve

Lewis Hamilton hasn't been his usual self this year, according to former world champion Jacques Villeneuve.

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Villeneuve compared the two title protagonists, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. According to him, Hamilton has not paid the price for some of the mistakes he's made during the 2021 season. He said:

"The points do not reflect the actual standings. Lewis Hamilton has made many mistakes, but he paid a low price compared to Verstappen. Just think of Verstappen’s retirements in Hungary and Britain. Then these were easy races for Mercedes, where Lewis was a bit off. At other circuits, they had less pace or they made mistakes like in Turkey. Yet, they are still close in the standings, so it’s very difficult to say who will win this championship."

The Canadian feels that Red Bull have been on the money this season, and that it's forced Mercedes into making uncharacteristic errors. Pointing towards some of the sub-optimal pit strategies Mercedes have put together for Hamilton this season, Villeneuve said:

“So far, Red Bull and Max Verstappen have been perfect, while you could see some fatigue in Mercedes and Hamilton. In the past, Mercedes didn’t need to push, they won anyway, like Ferrari with Schumacher. Everyone said they were geniuses. Even when they made tactical mistakes, they were so strong that they won in the end anyway. You can see with Mercedes that the team and the driver no longer seem to be as united as before.”

Lewis Hamilton will have a performance advantage in the upcoming races: Villeneuve

Despite pointing out that Red Bull and Verstappen have been more impressive this season, Villeneuve feels Mercedes and Hamilton are the favorites. He said:

"You absolutely cannot write Mercedes off as dead. In Turkey, they drove with the biggest wing and still nobody could keep up with them on the straight. Maybe they have pushed the potential of the engine up, as there are only a few races left. If they can keep doing that, Hamilton will do well in Austin and Brazil."

With the gap between the drivers only six points and Mercedes displaying a clear performance advantage over Red Bull heading into the six remaining races, Hamilton no doubt looks to have the upper hand. However, some of the upcoming venues like Mexico and Brazil have traditionally favored Verstappen while the Qatar Grand Prix will be a wildcard for everyone.

It'll be interesting to see who triumphs: Verstappen and Red Bull with an almost perfect track record this season, or Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes with an arguably better car at their disposal.