Villeneuve: Verstappen stands 'alone but not above' F1’s past greats

Jacques Villeneuve has never been one to tiptoe around controversy, and this time he’s taking aim at the idea that Max Verstappen is the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time.

The 1997 world champion insists that while Verstappen is undoubtedly the class of today’s grid, he doesn’t sit above the legends of decades past.

In a lively chat with RN365, the Canadian argues that today’s F1 landscape makes it easier for drivers to “stand out” above their peers, insisting modern machinery flatters today’s grid, allowing even average drivers to appear closer to the front than they would have in earlier decades.

“Right now, an average driver can look acceptable,” Villeneuve explained. “If you look at the past, an average driver would be two seconds off the pace, the way the cars were.

“Now, an average driver will be half a second [behind]. Okay, that’s acceptable, but you meant less difference.”

He’s got a point. The twitchy, unpredictable machines of the ’80s and ’90s demanded a different kind of grit. Today’s cars? “They’re very stable cars,” Villeneuve noted, explaining how their predictability flattens the gap between the good and the great.

Add in the chess game of tyre management, and drivers aren’t always pushing the limits from lights to flag.

“And also, once you get to race pace, they slow down a lot to work, to control the tyres and everything,” he added. “So it’s just a different F1 driver, different kind of cars.”

Carrying Red Bull On His Shoulers

When it comes to Verstappen’s achievements, Villeneuve doesn’t hold back on the praise – but there’s a catch. The Red Bull star is a “pure racer,” one of the last of his kind, carrying his team to glory almost single-handedly.

“He carried that team, he made that team champions,” Villeneuve declared, crediting the Dutchman’s partnership with design genius Adrian Newey and team boss Christian Horner for Red Bull’s golden era.

“He was the key factor – him and Adrian Newey together – but he was the key.

“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.”

Max Alone, But Not Above

Yet, for all his dominance, Villeneuve stops short of crowning Verstappen the greatest ever. Why? The competition – or lack thereof.

“If you look at the past, in Ayrton Senna and [Alain] Prost’s era, you had five drivers like Max [Verstappen] every year,” he said.

“Now you only have Max, so the playing field is… now there’s a lot of good drivers, where before there were a few extremely good drivers and a bunch of good drivers. So, I think the whole scheme has changed.”

In the ’80s and ’90s, titans like Senna, Prost, and others slugged it out in a grid stacked with elite talent.

Today, Verstappen stands alone according to Villeneuve’s assessment, a towering figure in a field of solid but not spectacular rivals. It’s a contentious point of view to say the least.

“Max is not better than the very good ones of the past,” Villeneuve insisted. “He’s alone right now, so he stands out. He makes the difference.”

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As F1 heads into a new era with shifting team dynamics and a tighter competitive order, Verstappen’s role as Red Bull’s linchpin will face fresh scrutiny.

Can he keep bending the sport to his will? Villeneuve’s betting on the driver, not the car, as the ultimate difference-maker.

Villeneuve’s take is a reminder that F1’s history is layered with giants. Verstappen’s blistering pace and trophy haul – four titles and counting – make him a modern marvel, but the Canadian’s perspective adds a twist: dominance today doesn’t automatically trump the battles of the past.

In a sport obsessed with tech and data, Verstappen’s raw racing instinct is a throwback, but Villeneuve’s verdict is clear: he’s a star, not a supernova brighter than Senna or Prost. Love it or hate it, that’s a debate worth revving up for.

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