Villeneuve says Red Bull requires Leclerc or Alonso to balance Verstappen’s dominance. Jacques Villeneuve explains why Red Bull needs a driver like Charles Leclerc or Fernando Alonso alongside Max Verstappen.

The Dutch driver lacks proper benchmarks
Max Verstappen responded with a suppressed laugh when asked in the mixed zone after finishing ninth at the Hungarian Grand Prix behind former Red Bull teammate Liam Lawson. Verstappen admitted he doesn’t believe the car is perfectly tailored to him. Despite securing two wins this 2025 season at Suzuka and Imola, overall it seems the Red Bull RB21 is limiting his ability to consistently challenge for podiums, with more races where the car restricts him than those where he threatens McLaren.

Currently, Verstappen is third in the Drivers’ Championship with 187 points. Red Bull has only scored seven points more than him this season. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda, who previously earned three points by finishing sixth in the China Sprint with Red Bull’s junior team, has stalled at 10 points. Liam Lawson, back with the junior team, has already doubled that tally with 20 points.

Jacques Villeneuve pointed out how difficult it is to gauge Verstappen’s true talent when his teammates and fellow drivers aren’t of the highest caliber. Villeneuve suggested it would be enlightening to see Charles Leclerc alongside Verstappen or even Fernando Alonso, both of whom have proven experience and skill. Speaking to Vision4Sport, Villeneuve stated, “It would be great to see Leclerc next to Verstappen to truly understand how good Max really is, or Alonso, who is a driver with confirmed experience. We know Verstappen is exceptional, but the drivers alongside him haven’t been up to the task.”

Jacques Villeneuve also believes Verstappen could serve as an excellent benchmark to evaluate the talent of Lando Norris, saying, “I would also like to see a comparison between Verstappen and Norris in equal machinery to measure whether Norris is truly an exceptional driver or just a very good one.”

Throughout his time at Red Bull, Max Verstappen has had challenging teammates like Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez. Perez, despite earning a contract renewal, was released at the end of 2024 after an objectively disappointing two-thirds of the season. However, it’s important to remember that Perez’s performance decline coincided with the gradual downturn of Red Bull’s competitiveness, which Max Verstappen helped to manage. Thanks to Verstappen’s talent, he guided the team to a fourth consecutive world championship with relative ease, aided also by some missteps from McLaren and Lando Norris.