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Jacques Villeneuve believes Lewis Hamilton will make a comeback in the upcoming Formula 1 season. The Canadian believes that the setbacks from 2022 will push him for another championship, and the world will see 'the best' Hamilton. He stated in Formule1.nl:
“Next year, I expect a lot from Lewis Hamilton – we are going to see the best Lewis. He ended the season without a pole position and a victory. That will do something to him, I think. And then it will be fun.”
Lewis Hamilton had to face his worst nightmares in 2022 with the Mercedes W13, a car that gave him an absolute rollercoaster downfall throughout the season. Hamilton's agitation with the car was visible in his statement about never wanting to drive it again.
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For the first time since his debut in 2007, the Briton finished an entire season without a single pole position or a race win. However, '97 champ Villeneuve has faith in him to fight back.
Villeneuve remarks on Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton's improvement throughout the season
Although Mercedes had a really slow and backward start to the season, they made a gradual improvement towards the end of the season. They were starting to battle with Red Bull and Ferrari mid-way. It was evident when Russell won the sprint and the main race in Brazil, a week before the team had another downfall in Abu Dhabi. Villeneuve quoted the Sao Paulo victory:
“Mercedes have been able to improve. We saw that in Brazil.”
While Toto Wolff, the team principal at Mercedes, said that they had predicted a slow pace in Abu Dhabi, Villeneuve seemed to have a different perspective. He stated that Hamilton had started to gain by the end of the race, and blamed the gearshift issue:
“A shame for him that he had to end the race like that, for the first time due to mechanical failure this season.”
However bad the season was for Lewis Hamilton, Russell has had a great time since his move from Williams. He became the third driver in Formula 1 history to beat Hamilton in the same car. The last time it happened was back in 2016 when Nico Rosberg won the Championship.
The British duo is set to grind for the 2023 season and come back stronger.
