Jacques Villeneuve debunks biggest Max Verstappen-Red Bull myth

Jacques Villeneuve has shut down claims that Red Bull tailor their F1 cars to suit Max Verstappen.

Four-time world champion Verstappen continued his dominance over his Red Bull teammates in 2025 by scoring 421 points compared to Yuki Tsunoda’s measly tally of 33.

Verstappen came within two points of winning a fifth consecutive world title but ultimately missed out on the championship to McLaren’s Lando Norris in a three-way showdown in the Abu Dhabi season finale.

The contrasting fortunes at Red Bull has led to speculation that the team’s cars are specifically designed to suit Verstappen’s driving style.

But 1997 F1 world champion Villeneuve has rubbished such rumours.

"Everybody's been saying, ‘Oh, but the car is made for Max. Poor, poor second driver.’ Actually, no. Max is working on it, making the car better and better," Villeneuve told the High Performance podcast.

"If you're incapable of driving it or figuring out what the issue is during the season, you'll end up going slower and slower and slower. Not because you're actually slower, but because Max will go faster and faster. That's because you're incapable of actually understanding what is going on with the car.

"So, obviously, they will work with Max and obviously, the car will become undrivable for you. We saw it with [Sergio] Perez. Every year, they would start the season on par, and that was it. Perez didn't start going slower. Max started going faster and faster and faster.

"Very simple. Because he could actually comprehend what was going on with the car. Sometimes you'll have understeer because the front is too soft, other times because it's too stiff. Some other time it all depends what is actually happening.

"And in the middle of that, you have to add the aero package. The closer you are to the ground, the more grip you have. So, you need a very stiff car. But the stiff car mechanically slides.

“So, you need to figure out what you need to do to get into that perfect zone where you drive the car, where the car becomes an extra part of your body that you don't have to think about it anymore. Very few drivers can do that.”

Verstappen sets record straight

Earlier this year, Verstappen himself addressed the theories.

“I just adapt to what I’ve got. It’s not what I like, it’s just what I have,” the Dutchman insisted when speaking with Chris Harris on the Ford Performance YouTube channel.

“So I have to try and drive to it because that’s the fastest way to go around the track, but it’s not what I personally would like. I’d like different bits on the car.”

Asked whether it makes him happy when he is praised for his impressive performances, Verstappen replied: “Of course it does, but I’m not doing it to show the people what I’m capable of.

“I’m doing it because I want to be the best with myself. I’m quite in that sense quite a perfectionist, it’s never good enough and if I can of course come out of the car and say to myself ‘that’s good enough’, it’s never good enough, but pretty good.”