Max Verstappen F1 team-mate crisis exposed

Photo: © IMAGO

Red Bull

Max Verstappen F1 team-mate crisis exposed

Red Bull's second seat crisis has been explained

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 16 December 2025 21:11

The reason for Red Bull's second seat crisis alongside Max Verstappen has been dissected by F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve.

Verstappen will have his fourth different team-mate in two years for the 2026 season, with Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda all failing to match the high standard of the Dutchman.

Red Bull announced that Isack Hadjar will replace Tsunoda at the team next year, with the Japanese racer relegated to test and reserve driver, while Arvid Lindblad will step up to Racing Bulls.

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The second Red Bull seat has proven to be somewhat of a poisoned chalice, with many left scratching their heads over the performance deficit at the team.

Villeneuve explains Red Bull second driver issue

And ahead of Hadjar's attempt in the second seat next season, 1997 world champion Villeneuve has explained why drivers find themselves in crisis every time they go up against Verstappen.

"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 said on 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."

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Jacques Villeneuve