There are huge differences between the personalities of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, Jacques Villeneuve analyzes at The Telegraph. The 1997 world champion sees clear differences between the two title candidates from 2021. “These are two extremes”, he kicks off.
“Max is not politically correct, doesn’t care what others say and is here to race.” At Hamilton, according to Villeneuve, it is just the opposite. “Lewis is more concerned with his image and very active on social media. We are seeing a great show this year.”
Still, the son of Gilles Villeneuve has a clear preference for the title favourite. “For Formula 1, it would be better if Max wins. In that case, Lewis still has to hunt for his eighth world title to break Michael Schumacher’s record.”
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Verstappen has changed a lot
Villeneuve’s opinion of Verstappen has changed over the years. In the first Formula 1 seasons of the Dutchman he was still critical, but nowadays the Canadian is full of praise for Verstappen’s performance. “He is no longer the same driver as he was then,” continues Villeneuve.
“He’s grown and matured a lot. He’s focused and the whole team is behind him. Red Bull is really completely a Verstappen team at the moment.” According to the former driver, this resembles the philosophy at the German racing stable. “Just like Mercedes is a Hamilton team.”
Villeneuve believes that Verstappen is also the better driver on the asphalt, at least this season. “I think Lewis has made more mistakes this year.” Yet Verstappen is only eight World Cup points apart from his title rival. “It didn’t cost him that many points,” says the former F1 driver. “Max is working on a better season, although it is clear that they are miles above the rest.”
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