This is Max Verstappen‘s time in Formula 1. In the last 9 races, he has been the first driver to see the chequered flag and strut through the finish line with ease and in style. His rampage is so fierce that rivals, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Carlos Sainz bowed down to his might to hail him as the unconquerable peak right now in F1. But all three of them have had their defeatist words handed back to them by a former World Champion.

The Italian GP race weekend has started. The clock is ticking down for the world to see the Dutchman in all his glory cruise to a historic 10th consecutive victory in Formula 1. One that will throw him into the history books and all that his rivals can do is watch him win. Red Bull‘s efficacy is such that even Hamilton, Sainz, and Leclerc had no choice but to give up their pursuit of being number 1. However, Jacques Villeneuve has shown that their dominance is not here to last a long time.

“Why would it be futile?” Villeneuve questioned RB’s rivals trying to match them. “Mercedes were so far ahead, and no one else gave up. It’s possible that Red Bull arrives at a point where they can’t evolve the car because they hit a wall in the development and Mercedes finds something.”

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Villeneuve’s statements make complete sense. Two years ago, Hamilton was the man at the top. With repeated efforts, Verstappen and Red Bull took over. So the scales tilting back in Mercedes’ direction could be a possibility. And to make that happen, the 7x champ has already begun the mind games.

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“Red Bull could seriously dominate in the next three seasons as well,” said Lewis Hamilton a few days ago, sounding dejected. But that dejected mind has now turned into a strategic one. At the Italian GP, the Briton started psychologically manipulating his arch-rival, Max Verstappen. He said that the Dutchman’s victories don’t feel well-earned because he has never had competent teammates like Hamilton had back in the day.

“In my personal opinion, Valtteri, and actually all my team-mates, have been stronger than the team-mates that Max has had,” Hamilton told Sky Sports. “Jenson [Button], Fernando [Alonso], George [Russell], Valtteri… Nico [Rosberg] – I’ve had so many. These guys have all been very consistent, and Max has not raced against anyone like that.”

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