Strong criticism from former Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has been directed at Yuki Tsunoda, who is currently serving as teammate to Max Verstappen. Villeneuve openly expressed his doubts about the Japanese driver’s competitiveness and suggested that the team should instead have top-level drivers such as Charles Leclerc, Fernando Alonso, or Lando Norris in that seat. The Canadian believes such drivers could provide a real challenge to the reigning world champion and give fans an exciting intra-team battle.
Once again, as has been the case for several years now, the teammate of the four-time world champion Max Verstappen is struggling—significantly. After the departure of Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda was promoted to Red Bull Racing. However, even with the dominant RB21, the Japanese driver has been unable to perform at the same level as Verstappen. Villeneuve has made it clear he would much prefer to see a stronger name alongside the Dutchman—someone like Charles Leclerc, Fernando Alonso, or Lando Norris. The question that naturally arises is: would any of these top-tier drivers be capable of beating Max Verstappen in equal machinery?
“I could even get on the podium in Japan,” were the confident words of Yuki Tsunoda as he donned the Red Bull Racing t-shirt, preparing for his first official appearance with the Milton Keynes-based team at his home Grand Prix in Suzuka. Reality, however, turned out to be far from what he had hoped for, as demonstrated in the races that followed.
In the twelve races where Yuki Tsunoda has driven alongside the reigning world champion, he has only finished in the points on three occasions. He has scored a total of just 10 championship points, compared to Max Verstappen’s staggering 187. The numbers speak for themselves, and many observers have reached a harsh conclusion. “Tsunoda is probably the worst teammate Max has ever had,” declared Jacques Villeneuve in an interview with Vision4Sports.
Jacques Villeneuve addressed one of the most frequently debated topics in the paddock: the notion that Red Bull Racing designs its Formula 1 car exclusively around Max Verstappen’s preferences. “A lot of people say it’s unfair that Red Bull builds the car solely for Max Verstappen,” Villeneuve noted, “but the reality seems to be that he is the only one truly capable of giving valuable feedback to the engineers. It’s not about wanting to make life harder for the second driver; it’s just that there are very few drivers today who are truly on Max’s level.”
The 1997 Formula 1 world champion went on to reflect on how the talent pool has changed in the sport. “In the past, there were many exceptional talents on the grid. Nowadays, there are more ‘good drivers’ than truly outstanding ones,” he observed.
Jacques Villeneuve then shared his personal wish for a more competitive Red Bull lineup. “I would love to see Charles Leclerc alongside Max Verstappen, to understand just how strong Max really is,” he said. “Or even Fernando Alonso… or Lando Norris, so we could evaluate whether he’s a true phenomenon or simply a ‘good driver.’”
Through this statement, Villeneuve not only challenged Tsunoda’s place at Red Bull Racing but also reignited the debate about the lack of internal competition within the team and the potential that remains untapped by not pairing Verstappen with another elite-level driver.
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