Jacques Villeneuve: Red Bull and Max Verstappen thrive under pressure, McLaren still struggle. Jacques Villeneuve believes Red Bull and Max Verstappen thrive under pressure.

The view of the 1997 Formula 1 world champion

A winning team that thrives under pressure with the best driver on the grid in the cockpit, against a rival team that is still not used to converting opportunities when it matters most. Against all expectations, Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominated both at Monza and in Baku. Meanwhile, the disappointing weekend in Azerbaijan for Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris allowed the reigning four-time world champion to close the gap in the standings: Verstappen is now just 69 points behind Oscar Piastri and 44 points behind Norris, with seven races and three sprints still to come.

Although it is highly likely that McLaren will score a one-two finish in Singapore that would effectively end any realistic hopes of a Verstappen comeback, Jacques Villeneuve believes there is still reason for concern inside the papaya team.

Villeneuve’s analysis of Red Bull and McLaren

“Red Bull is a team of fighters and winners who get even stronger under pressure,” explained the 1997 Formula 1 world champion in an interview with OLBG. “McLaren last year showed that they are not like that. They know it inside the team. The drivers know it, and that’s why they are not fully at ease. Max Verstappen knows it as well and will try to use this to his advantage.”

According to Jacques Villeneuve, Baku also showed cracks in McLaren’s armor. “The ‘bubble’ of the infallible Oscar Piastri burst in Baku, even if it might just have been an isolated case. Norris is not yet out of the fight, but he is in a complicated position because if Verstappen really becomes a concrete threat, then McLaren will have no choice but to give Oscar Piastri the clear number one status. That’s the only way to avoid the risk of losing the drivers’ world championship.”

Piastri and Norris under growing pressure

Jacques Villeneuve stressed that both McLaren drivers must bounce back quickly. “Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri absolutely need to recover from the disappointing weekend in Baku because Verstappen will not give up. He will always be there, pushing. And as in a movie, the one who is leading always has the temptation to look back to see if the pursuer is getting closer. You know you cannot make mistakes because the one behind you will not. In the end, very often the one running away suffers the stress and eventually gets caught.”