Jacques Villeneuve: “Vettel will win easily, barring stupid things”

Jacques Villeneuve has little doubt that this year's championship winner is Sebastian Vettel.

The 1997 champion said that Vettel, clearly in the lead with a 77-point lead over second in the standings, will certainly engage in closer duels later in 2011.

“This year, without a doubt, the favorite is Vettel. He will win very easily, unless he does something stupid,” the Canadian from Quebec told Spain's Europa Press.

Villeneuve, now 40, added that the 23-year-old German is in a position described as "in the clouds".

“His car is incredible and he has a very strong team; everyone supports him; the mechanics, the sponsors, a great car. When things are like this, everything is up in the air – nothing can go wrong with you,” he insisted.

The ex-Williams and Sauber driver also commented on the changing fortunes of Hamilton in the last races:

“Hamilton is aggressive and that's good, it's nice to see, but sometimes you have to know when to do that and when to use your head,” said Villeneuve.

Alessandra Leoni