"I find it amusing some of the things that come out of his mouth" - Lewis Hamilton refutes former F1 champion's claims on adaptability to new cars

Lewis Hamilton refutes Jacques Villeneuve’s claim that George Russell can adapt to the Mercedes W13 better than him. The Briton believes the Canadian’s words are often amusing and that he is able to adapt equally well to a tough car as his team-mate.

Speaking to Formule 1 Netherlands, the Canadian world champion compared the two Mercedes drivers and said:

“George Russell can still handle the car to some extent. Maybe it's because of his years at Williams where he also had to drive a tough car. But Lewis Hamilton is not coping at all. He always had a perfect car, he never had to push because they were much faster. In [Sunday's] race he did well, but on Saturday he was nowhere.”

According to the Canadian, Russell’s experience at Williams F1 team and their difficult car made it easier for him to adapt to an undriveable Mercedes W13. While Mercedes have had their fair share of struggles, Lewis Hamilton getting outperformed by the junior Brit in Jeddah has led to Villeneuve believing that the multiple world champion is unable to adapt to his tools.

Responding to Villeneuve’s comments, the British champion said:

“No, not really. I find it amusing some of the things that come out of his mouth but ..not George. I remember my first go-kart was fifth hand, driven lots of different cars and found myself relatively adaptable, so should be good.”

Dismissive about Villeneuve’s analysis, the 37 year old reminded the press at the FIA driver’s conference, that his first go-kart was used by four owners before him. Reminding of his own experience in various cars, the Mercedes champion was dismissive of the comparison to Russell.

Suggesting that the W13 might not suit the knighted British driver, Villeneuve further added:

“The car doesn't seem to suit his driving style at the moment. You can make an engine more powerful, but you can't get extra horsepower that easily, and if the chassis doesn't keep up, you've got a problem.”

Analyzing the performance in Jeddah, Villeneuve believes that the Mercedes 2022 challenger might not be suiting their ace driver. Suggesting that a strong engine is not enough to have a performance edge, the Canadian believes Mercedes might have a problem with their chassis underperforming.

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Jacques Villeneuve fires shots at Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton

Known for having interesting opinions on Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton, the Canadian world champion believes Mercedes have fallen off their glorious pedestal. The F1 driver turned TV pundit suggests the Silver Arrows outfit’s engine prowess was the prime reason for their dominance, which will not be the case in 2022.

Making some interesting remarks at Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton, Villeneuve said:

“We can say that fighting for prizes is no longer an option for them.It's clear - Mercedes fell from its pedestal. For years they were superior, bad weekends could be compensated by their powerful engine, but this is no longer the case. It will be interesting to see what the team's reaction will be, as Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton are not used to this.”

According to the Canadian, Mercedes boss Wolff and the Mercedes champion are not used to struggles like the ones they are facing in 2022 and it will be interesting to see how they react to the scenarios that unfold.