Hamilton and another title? He needs to be more aggressive, says Villeneuve. What else did he say about him?

The championship title, albeit after a very controversial ending, was won by Max Verstappen in the 2021 season, ending Lewis Hamilton’s reign. Jacques Villeneuve said in a recent interview that if the Mercedes driver wants to build on his earlier successes, he needs to be more aggressive. But what else did he reveal in that interview?

“It’s good for the sport that Verstappen won the title. Hamilton now has to come back and try to win his eighth world title. But he needs to be more aggressive to have a chance of achieving his eighth triumph,” Villeneuve said in an interview with Motorsport.

Jacques Villeneuve is the 1997 world champion, back then he was still defending the colours of the Williams stable. At that time, he was in a truly feisty battle with Michele Schumacher, and he also rates the recent title fight because their long-ago battle ended after considerable controversy.

Schumacher’s Ferrari crashed into Villeneuve in the then grand final at Jerez and the title fight was decided. The seven-time world champion, as we all know today, was unable to continue the race despite extensive damage to his monopod.

Villeneuve eventually finished third in the European Grand Prix, securing his first and last championship title. After a subsequent investigation into the incident, Schumacher was even retroactively disqualified from the 1997 edition.

The now 50-year-old Canadian recalls that when such a fierce battle for the championship comes down to the last race, controversy almost always plays a role. But Villeneuve also responds to the latest speculation surrounding Hamilton’s possible end in Formula 1.

“For example, nobody expected Nico (Rosberg) not to return to Formula 1 after winning the championship and end his career. He just woke up one morning and told everyone that he was no longer passionate about racing in a way. It seems that this will not be the case for Lewis, but who knows?” explains the former Renault and Williams driver.

“It’s really hard to know what’s going on in people’s heads. The season is very long and you believe that it will turn out the way you expect. Otherwise, you feel like success has just been taken away from you,” he concluded.

However, we must note that it is already highly unlikely that Hamilton will actually end his active career, given the rapidly approaching tests. The British driver would make life very difficult for Mercedes.

Moreover, Formula 1 is entering a new era and it is very difficult to predict what the upcoming season will bring.

Sources: Motorsport, F1