Villeneuve sees smart thinking from Verstappen: 'Shows maturity'

"It [the world title race] just needs a slightly better performance from Lando Norris so that he is a bit more competitive. But it will be a fun end to the season. It will be very exciting between Max and Lando," Villeneuve predicted.

Different approach for Verstappen

The one-time world champion stated last week that Verstappen has not been fighting as hard in recent weeks and at MARCA he reiterates that the Red Bull driver has "changed his approach", although the Canadian now sounds a lot more positive.

"He is not trying to win races, he is just trying to score points. That shows maturity. The championship is more important than winning individual races. He knows McLaren is not making the tough decisions it should and that will work in his favour. If Lando does not become champion, it will be McLaren's fault, not his."

No Newey at Red Bull

Coincidence or not, things have gone downhill since Adrian Newey announced his departure from Red Bull Racing in May. Villeneuve suspects that the Austrian racing team will feel the future effects. The Austrian teams claims they are fine without Newey, but Villeneuve takes a slightly different view.

"The fact that Newey is no longer there is really detrimental. His cars always perform very well, but in a small window. It's easy to get out of that window and then it's not so easy to get back in. It's a fine line. When Newey left Williams in 1997, mid-season, the team was in trouble. They had completely lost their way and it took them a while to get back. The same could happen at Red Bull," he concluded.

This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton

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