Villeneuve praises Hamilton's Ferrari revival but warns Mercedes still out of reach

Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari has produced back-to-back podiums in Canada and Monaco, lifting him to second in the drivers’ championship — but 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes the seven-time champion is not yet capable of beating Mercedes on pure pace.

Hamilton’s second-place finish on the streets of Monte Carlo moved him ahead of George Russell in the standings. He now trails championship leader Kimi Antonelli, with Mercedes continuing to set the benchmark at the front of the grid.

Villeneuve acknowledged the momentum Hamilton has built but was measured in his assessment. “Lewis has had two amazing races but it still was not enough to beat Mercedes in a straight fight,” the Canadian said. “What he can rely on is Russell fighting Antonelli and both going off or having issues, then beating them. Right now he’s on a roll, he’s in a good place, he feels good and he’s aggressive.”

Hamilton himself is refusing to write off a championship challenge. Speaking in Barcelona, he outlined a long-term vision for closing the gap to Mercedes. “My approach is full attack, full commitment, trying to continuously galvanise the team and push in the right direction,” he said. “We have a North Star. We know where we need to go. Getting there takes a lot of work, and it’s not as easy as just fixing something for next week.”

He added: “If we’re all rowing in the same direction at the same strength, I think we can potentially get to a magical place.”

On the opening day of practice at the Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton posted the ninth-fastest time in the second session, having sat out FP1 to give rookie Dino Beganovic his first taste of the SF-25.