Former Formula 1 driver and 1997 champion, Jacques Villeneuve, has warned Lewis Hamilton against toning down his aggression, as the Canadian believes he’ll lose his raw speed in the process.
The McLaren driver has been the topic of discussion for much of the season, but for all the wrong reasons as several incidents have seen him retire from races or face the FIA stewards.
Whilst Villeneuve doesn’t believe his aggression is a bad thing, because it adds excitement, he does believe the 26-year-old needs to be more aware of his surroundings if he’s to challenge for another title.
“The thing I love about him [Hamilton], is that he’s great to watch,” he told F1 Racing. “Maybe he’s not serving himself in the best way possible at the moment, but it’s great for the spectacle of F1 and it would be good if there were more drivers like him on the grid who took risks.
“I don’t think he’s necessarily overdriving; he just doesn’t seem to be as aware of his surroundings – it’s as if he’s in his own little world. And you can’t be a championship contender when you drive like that.”
The 40-year-old who took his one and only title with Williams in 1997, warned Hamilton against diluting his style, because he’ll be a slower driver as a result.
“I’m not in any way comparing these two drivers, but take Takuma Sato. People said, “The day he learns to stop crashing, he’ll be amazing.” I always thought, “No, the day he learns that he’ll actually be driving slower.”
“You can’t take one trait out of a driver and keep the rest. If you remove Lewis’s aggression, he’ll be a slower driver. Is that what he or McLaren want? I don’t think so.”
That theory may have been proven at the last race in Monza where Hamilton was stuck behind Michael Schumacher for 20+ laps after he decided against any last minute lunges, something he’s known for.
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