Villeneuve: We see another Lewis in 2023

1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve summed up last season…

Jacques Villeneuve: Interesting races have made the season interesting. Not from the point of view of the title fight, which Verstappen won ahead of schedule, but even the last races, when everything was already decided, turned out to be spectacular.

Usually, when the fate of the title is decided, the championship fades like an extinguished candle, but this year everything was great. And while the race in Brazil turned out more colorful, Abu Dhabi is more suitable for the closing party at the end of a long season.

The configuration on the Yas Marina circuit is not the most interesting, but the high tire wear added intrigue. Ferrari did everything right. Pérez was confident in second, but the one-stop strategy worked for Leclerc. This year Leclerc was due to challenge Verstappen for the title, but he lost too many points through mistakes – his own and the team’s.

Much has been written about Mattia Binotto’s position at Ferrari. Previously they were sometimes fired after three failed races, now it turns out to be the whole season. From the outside it is difficult to judge, I have no idea whether the dismissal will be the solution to the problem. Everything depends on what you get in return.

Perez was strong at the start of the season, then went invisible and in the last races he added again. Overall, he could have done more in a year, so the 2023 season will be important for him. According to rumors, the Red Bull is in talks with Daniel Ricciardo, although he will deal with the work with sponsors and the press – he is good at that. They say they communicate with Lando Norris, but don’t attach too much importance to this.

Teams always plan ahead. No one wants such surprises as with Alpine. I think Perez’s dad shouldn’t get involved. In the age of social media, parents’ opinions are well heard, but they should not try to influence the situation. That is why Jos Verstappen is becoming less and less visible, he is kept aside, and rightly so.

Next year I expect a lot from Lewis Hamilton. We will see a better Lewis. This is the first time he has finished the season without poles or wins, it will affect him. And they will add to Mercedes. We saw it in Brazil.

Early in the race Lewis had to give up his seat and struggled with the Medium tyres, but after switching to Hard he seemed to be flying around the track. It is a pity that the race in Abu Dhabi ended for him with his first retirement of the season due to a mechanical failure.

I wonder if we will see more Sebastian Vettel? It was a tough year for him, he was doing a lot of his own business outside of racing. Sebastian did a great job in the last Grand Prix. He will miss Formula 1 and I wouldn’t be surprised if he returns in some role. When you do one thing for so long, one day everything gets boring, you want to be at home, with your family. But in a few months everything can change.

See you in 2023!