Jacques Villeneuve does not think the current F1 World Cup position does justice to the relationship between Mercedes and Red Bull Racing. Max Verstappen leads the championship by six points over defending champion Lewis Hamilton, but Villeneuve says the Dutchman’s lead could have been greater.

The 1997 world champion said in an interview with Gazzetta dello sport. Villeneuve cites the loss points Verstappen had to deal with during the Grand Prix of Great Britain and Hungary. In those races, he was involved in accidents with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas respectively. Although he finished ninth in Hungary, the seventeen-time race winner in the United Kingdom did not cross the line.

“It was easy for Mercedes there,” Villeneuve said. “Although Hamilton was not particularly good at that. However, in the racetracks already in Istanbul they were not fast enough or they made mistakes. In any case, the drivers rarely differ from each other in the championship.

Villeneuve seeks to explain the high speed on the straits

So Villeneuve finds it difficult to predict the world champion, precisely because Mercedes and Red Bull are no different from each other. “Red Bull and Verstappen are almost flawless so far, while Mercedes appears to have a certain form of fatigue,” the 11-time race winner continues his analysis.

Villeneuve also saw how fast Mercedes and Hamilton in particular were on the Istanbul Fjord. At certain times, he drove his W12 twenty kilometers per hour faster than competitors. They may have spoiled the engine because there are still a few races left (six, editor). If they continue like this, Hamilton can perform well in Austin and Brazil, because speed on the straight is important there.”