Max Verstappen’s driving style places high demands on his car and teammates – Jacques Villeneuve talks about the challenges and Verstappen’s future
Max Verstappen has not only caused a stir in recent years with his remarkable performance on the track, but also with the distance to his teammates. On average, the Dutchman was about six-tenths of a second faster per lap than his Red Bull teammates Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon and, most recently, Sergio Perez. This discrepancy makes it difficult for the team and teammates to keep up.
Jacques Villeneuve, who won the Formula One World Championship in 1997, has spoken to yaysweepstakes.com about the impact of Verstappen’s driving style and the difficulties it causes his teammates. Villeneuve explains that Verstappen needs a very special car that is tailored to his own unique requirements and driving style.
“Max loves very precise, very sharp cars with very good front-axle behavior and he can control the rear of the car very well,” says Villeneuve. ‘Not many drivers are able to do that consistently, and not many cars are built to suit that driving style.’
Villeneuve: Are Formula 2 cars too different?
These special demands of Verstappen pose major challenges not only for the car but also for the team. Villeneuve goes into more detail: “The way he drives and how the car is then developed makes it really hard for Formula 2 drivers. They come from cars that are inherently very understeery, both in Formula 3 and Formula 2 – huge amounts of understeer.“
”So they drive differently, and when you then get into a car that is specifically designed for Verstappen’s driving style, it becomes almost impossible to keep up with him.”
Villeneuve on Verstappen’s future
Another exciting aspect regarding Verstappen’s future is the ongoing discussion about a possible move to Aston Martin. Villeneuve comments on this and explains that this could well be an option for Verstappen, especially in view of past developments at Red Bull and Aston Martin: “It depends on what’s available next year.”
“Maybe there won’t be an exciting team for him to join next year. Even though most teams would like to have him, the opportunity might just not be there,” said Villeneuve.
At Aston Martin, Adrian Newey has now officially taken up his duties after the design legend moved from Red Bull to Silverstone. For Villeneuve, it is perfectly clear what Newey’s current focus will be: “Next year, because the 2025 car has already been designed.”
“You can still make a few adjustments, put the right people in the right places, but it’s really about preparing for the medium and long term.”
“He always managed to design cars that exploited the extreme corners of the regulations, always found a few loopholes or particularly clever solutions and really got the maximum out of the regulations. But he also always understood how to work with drivers – that’s the difference compared to most others,” Villeneuve concluded.
