Jacques Villeneuve has suggested that Lewis Hamilton has not been driving to the "maximum of his potential" after he put in a stronger performance at the Canadian Grand Prix. The seven-time World Champion returned to the podium for the first time since the season-opening race in Bahrain, and also finished ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell for only the second time in 2022. Despite this, Villeneuve believes that Russell probably would have outqualified Hamilton had he not taken a gamble on slick tyres during the final stages of qualifying, which took place in mixed conditions. "He definitely had the pace [to outqualify Hamilton]," Villeneuve told the F1 Nation podcast. "Lewis still was dragging his arms on the ground a little bit. Lewis needs to have this start to go and get, to be at his 100 per cent form. "And this year, you have the impression he's not been driving to the maximum of his potential."
Villeneuve points to difference between Verstappen and Hamilton
Villeneuve feels that Hamilton's comments during the early stages of the Spanish Grand Prix – where he appeared to suggest to the team that they retire the car after a first-lap incident dropped him to the back of the field – reflect a different approach to that of his 2021 title rival Max Verstappen. "[In Barcelona], he said, 'Well, let's stop, let's save the engine'," Villeneuve continued. "He didn't want [to continue], and then ultimately got going and was competitive. So that's I think the difference with Max from last year. Max is 100 per cent the whole time, Hamilton isn't. "But [in Canada], he was in front of his teammate. He could see the podium. Yes, he had extreme pace. Why didn't he have this pace earlier in the season? Because obviously, the pace can be there."
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