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Max Verstappen's form could be his undoing, according to former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.
The son of Canadian legend Gilles Villeneuve has cast a shadow of doubt on Verstappen's ability to see out the title race and emerge as champion on the other side.
Speaking ahead of the title decider at the Yas Marina circuit, the Canadian had this to say about Verstappen's form going into the race:
"I don't know how long Max (Verstappen) can keep it up at this level. It is very rare to see a driver from race 1 to race 22 now that is always in the zone. That on a bad weekend, he will only be a tenth or two-tenths off but there's still no mistakes and it's bound to happen at some point the adrenaline won't carry him."
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Jacques Villeneuve knows what he is talking about, given that the last time the F1 drivers' championship went down to the wire, it was him who faced Michael Schumacher and Ferrari before triumphing for Williams in 1997.
Max Verstappen was on the edge in Saudi Arabia against Lewis Hamilton
Senior F1 writer Lawrence Barretto has estimated that Max Verstappen was racing on a knife-edge in Saudi Arabia.
Verstappen went to Jeddah hoping to close out the drivers' world championship but could only manage second place in a race filled with incidents and talking points.
The result left Verstappen level on points with his rival Lewis Hamilton as both sprint to the finish to claim the crown.
Barretto feels Lewis Hamilton has taken Max Verstappen the distance in this season's title battle. He said:
"I think that he was pushed quite far and hadn't been pushed that far before. And probably reacted in a way that perhaps surprised himself. I think he has reined it back in a lot since he got here."
While Hamilton has been much more focused and calm on the exterior, Verstappen has cut a rather erratic figure, especially after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
It remains to be seen which side is on display from both Verstappen and Hamilton when the lights go out in Abu Dhabi.
