Jacques Villeneuve makes two Lewis Hamilton predictions after 104th career win

Jacques Villeneuve predicts the British GP won’t be Lewis Hamilton’s last win for Mercedes but has warned he’s in for an “emotional rollercoaster” next season with Ferrari.

Hamilton conquered the changeable conditions to win last time out at Silverstone, the victory his 104th overall but his first since his 2021 title fight against Max Verstappen.

Lewis Hamilton facing ’emotional rollercoaster’

It was a moment that Hamilton admits he feared would never come, telling the media including PlanetF1.com: “There’s definitely been days between 2021 and now where I didn’t feel like I was good enough, or where I was going to get back to where I am today.”

Having gone from fighting for the World title to recording back-to-back seasons without a single P1, the seven-time World Champion’s return to the top step of the podium comes as he’s preparing to say goodbye to Mercedes.

Having signed with the Silver Arrows back in 2012, this year’s championship is Hamilton’s 12th and last with the Brackley squad before he swaps silver for red in a multi-year Ferrari deal.

1997 World Champion Villeneuve believes an “emotional rollercoaster” awaits the 39-year-old.

“Lewis Hamilton will be an emotional rollercoaster at Ferrari,” he said, as quoted by The Mirror . “He seems to be very emotional in his driving, in the highs and lows, and it seems to affect him quite a lot.

“You can tell he was on a roll and in the zone at Silverstone – he hasn’t been in the zone like that for a while.

“Every season he’s driven, Hamilton has had ups and downs, he’s never had a season like Max Verstappen. There’s always swings in his moods, it might be self-doubt but I’m not sure.

“Most of the season, it’s looked like Hamilton was accepting defeat to George Russell, which is weird. In Silverstone, he made the difference in the rain.

“That’s the champion we know, he knows how to take hold of an occasion.”

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Lewis Hamilton is not done winning with Mercedes

Having ended his race-winning drought, Villeneuve firmly believes the British Grand Prix win was not Hamilton’s last victory with the team.

“No, Silverstone won’t be Lewis Hamilton’s last Grand Prix win,” he insisted. “He still has the fire in his belly to perform.

“Also, the Mercedes has become very quick so we will probably see another win for Hamilton this year. Somehow, Mercedes have followed the same trajectory as the McLaren.

“Hamilton knows how to drive this version of the car, and he showed that in the last race.”

Mercedes took a notable step forward with their Monaco Grand Prix upgrade with Toto Wolff confirming something just “clicked” with the data.

Building on that, Mercedes have joined McLaren in putting pressure on Red Bull and Max Verstappen. Villeneuve reckons the triple World Champion is feeling that.

“Emotions can suck your energy dry, it’s not a great feeling,” said the Canadian. “Max Verstappen feels it too, but he’s able to replenish that energy to win a race week after week.

“Every race weekend in 2021 was taxing for him, the next two years were a lot more relaxed but this year he has had to work very hard to perform. That amount of effort can be taxing and tire you out.”

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