Max Verstappen could be in trouble according to F1 legend Jacques Villeneuve because Mercedes and McLaren are running rings around Red Bull. The Dutchman still holds a 74-point lead over second-placed Lando Norris, but the stranglehold he’s had on the campaign has been significantly loosened after winning just three of the last seven Grands Prix – his worst run since 2021.
With Mercedes and McLaren on the up, and Red Bull struggling for consistency, Villeneuve, 53, reckons the next few months could be a real test for Verstappen, 26, who hasn’t really faced stiff week-by-week competition since pipping Lewis Hamilton to the title three years ago.
“The season has changed a lot and it’s surprising,” Villeneuve told Instant Casino. “Red Bull have lost their leading position, and the best two teams now are McLaren and Mercedes.
“Max Verstappen is still making a difference and winning, but it’s becoming harder and harder as the season goes on. Thanks to that, we see how good of a driver Sergio Perez actually is, he’s not the same driver as before.”
The Candian, who won the world title in 1997, noted Norris’ improvements and tipped the Brit, as well as Carlos Sainz, to give Verstappen problems moving forward. “Lando Norris has made a big step to be a contender,” Villeneuve said.
“But, ever since Monaco, Ferrari have declined and nobody seems to know how and why that’s happened, it will be hard to recover. Carlos Sainz has handled it a lot better than Charles Leclerc and it shows how strong of a candidate he will be for the next seat he takes – he can handle the pressure better than Leclerc can. Sainz sees it as ‘let’s see how we can make the best out of a bad situation’, whereas Leclerc is like ‘c**p, is this what the next five years will be like?’”
Sainz set the pace during the opening practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend on Friday, with the Ferrari man leading the way ahead of Verstappen and fellow Scuderia driver Charles Leclerc.
Ahead of Sunday’s race, Red Bull have made a series of significant upgrades to their car, reworking much of the front wing in order to add more downforce, as well as adding some engine cooling gills. It comes after two successive Mercedes Grand Prix wins, with George Russell triumphing in Austria and Hamilton clinching victory at Silverstone.
