Max Verstappen ‘carried’ Red Bull as Villeneuve delivers ‘haywire’ verdict
Jacques Villeneuve claims Max Verstappen is responsible for Red Bull's success.
Sky F1 pundit and 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has claimed that Red Bull Racing should be crediting Max Verstappen with its recent championship domination.
Verstappen is the “key factor” in the team’s success — something that will be put to the test now that longtime team principal and CEO Christian Horner is out of the picture.
Villeneuve: Max Verstappen to credit for Red Bull success
What makes a Formula 1 team? Is it the drivers? The team principals? The designers? The mechanics? How much does each person contribute?
It’s an age-old conundrum that has inspired plenty of debate throughout the years, and it’s a common refrain amongst fans today.
Does Lewis Hamilton have natural talent, or can we credit Mercedes’ equipment with his dominance? Is Max Verstappen truly great, or does he simply race for a capable team?
In an interview with RN365, Villeneuve claimed that Verstappen “made that team champions” in reference to Red Bull Racing.
And yes, he intends to emphasize the importance of the driver in this modern era, in which many onlookers tend to criticize a lack of skill and input from the drivers when compared to previous eras.
Asked about the driver skill, Villeneuve said, “Well, they are super important. Just look at Verstappen.
“He carried that team. He made that team champions.”
More on Max Verstappen and his skill:
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The Canadian champion was quick to temper his statement with some additional context about the construction of the rest of the team.
“[Verstappen] was the key factor — him and Adrian Newey together — but he was the key,” he explained.
“And also Horner, the way he was running the team, the whole group there got it.
“Then it all went haywire a little bit. But [Verstappen] was extremely, extremely important — the key element.”
Verstappen’s skill as a driver is perhaps nowhere more obvious than in comparisons with his team-mates.
The Dutch driver has routinely outscored every single driver he’s been paired with, in everything: Qualifying, race performance, pole positions, podiums, and points.
In 2025, Verstappen seems to be the primary reason the RB21 has found any performance at all.
He has two wins under his belt this year, enough to net him 187 points and third overall in the World Drivers’ Championship standings.
There’s a major gap between himself and team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who sits 18th overall in the WDC with just 10 points total.
The only other Red Bull driver to equal Verstappen’s success with the team was German racer Sebastian Vettel, who took four WDCs of his own between 2010 and 2013.
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