Lewis Hamilton's 'heart and head are already somewhere else' with just three F1 races of the season to go.
That's according to Jacques Villeneuve, who believes the 39-year-old is simply racing because he needs to 'finish his contract'.
Hamilton confirmed at the start of the year that he would be leaving Mercedes for Ferrari after a glittering spell with the Silver Arrows.
And though he's won two races this term, in Britain and Belgium respectively, he's still struggled to compete with the likes of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
Lewis Hamilton is currently preparing for the final three races of the F1 season
REUTERS
Hamilton has cut a downbeat figure at times this term.
And Villeneuve, speaking to Grosvenor Sport, has expressed a belief that the veteran's 'heart and head' are already 'somewhere else'.
He said: “With everything he’s been able to do, he’s still capable of doing it. There’s no doubt there.
"Just because it’s not working right now with Mercedes doesn’t mean that he’s lost it.
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“His heart and his head are probably somewhere else already!
"He knew that he couldn’t win the championship this year with Mercedes, maybe a race or two, but not the championship.
"So why put all that energy into building the car and the team for someone else?
“Right now, he’s just finishing his contract.”
Some have suggested that Hamilton's legacy is starting to be tarnished amid his struggles in the sport.
He is 203 points behind Verstappen at the summit, a damning statistic that highlights his problems on the grid this term.
Yet former F1 star Villeneuve doesn't believe that's the case and has backed the Briton to rediscover his best form when he departs Mercedes at the end of the campaign.
"That is the next step for him to become the biggest driver ever. Winning again with Mercedes would not really serve any purpose," he added.
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Lewis Hamilton currently sits seventh in the F1 standings with three races of the season to go
REUTERS
"But winning with Ferrari? There’s nothing bigger in the world after everything he has achieved.
“When he signed there was nothing to see. All he could see was where Mercedes had gone.
“So, it was time to move. And sometimes you go on a hunch, and you jump and you hope that the other ship is better. Then you look like a hero like he did when he went to Mercedes and people were asking, ‘What is he doing? Is he crazy? It turned out to be good.
“When he did sign for Ferrari nothing was in place like it is now. It wasn’t the Ferrari we see today.
Lewis Hamilton has struggled to compete with the likes of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris this season
REUTERS“That’s what you have to understand. It is a Ferrari. It’s the biggest name in the car or motorsport industry and Lewis has been the biggest name. So, link the two. Look how the shares went up in Ferrari.
“If he can win with Ferrari, he will be forever unbeatable. That’s it. And he will cement his name. It’s very simple.
“If he doesn’t win with Ferrari, he still has got all the records. That would just be the ultimate step. So it’s worth taking the gamble.”
