Villeneuve dismisses myth: Red Bull car not tailored to Verstappen

Jacques Villeneuve doesn’t buy lazy myths – especially those that refuse to die in Formula 1 paddocks, fan forums and podcasts.

The idea that Red Bull builds its cars around Max Verstappen, leaving anyone unlucky enough to be his teammate fighting a rigged game is nonsense, says the 1997 world champion. And he says it with bite.

In a season where Verstappen racked up a staggering 421 points while Yuki Tsunoda scraped together just 33, the optics were always going to fuel the enduring theory.

Verstappen even pushed Lando Norris to the wire in Abu Dhabi, missing out on a fifth straight title by a heartbreaking two points. The gulf inside Red Bull looked brutal. Villeneuve’s verdict: blame the driver’s brilliance, not a hidden design bias.

‘The car isn’t made for Max – Max makes the car’

Speaking on a recent High Performance podcast, Villeneuve addressed head-on the long-running narrative that Red Bull engineers sculpt their machines to Verstappen’s demands.

"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,"

According to Villeneuve, that’s where the real separation begins – not in the factory, but in the feedback loop between Verstappen and the engineers.

"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."

Red Bull design doesn’t leave the other driver behind, Villeneuve insists. Verstappen does – by understanding and evolving with it.

Perez, proof, and the snowball effect

Villeneuve pointed to a familiar pattern from recent seasons, particularly during Sergio Perez’s tenure alongside Verstappen.

"So, obviously, they will work with Max and obviously, the car will become undrivable for you,” he continued.

“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."

Why? Comprehension. Sensitivity. Translation.

"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,” the Canadian explained.

And then comes the real technical knife-edge – the aerodynamic and mechanical compromise that separates the merely fast from the truly elite.

"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."

• Read also: Verstappen explains why ‘you take your pride in different ways’

That’s where Verstappen lives comfortably – right on the limit, inside a machine that feels less like equipment and more like anatomy.

“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,” said Villeneuve.”

Villeneuve’s message lands with clarity and sting: Red Bull aren’t building cars for Verstappen. Verstappen is building Red Bull forward – one ruthless insight, one microscopic adjustment, and one disappearing teammate at a time.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook