Villeneuve on Verstappen's dominance: 'With Hamilton, nobody complained'
Red Bull Content Pool
General
- Toby McLuskie
The world championship is unlikely to get as exciting as it did in 2021 anytime soon, but this season is the other extreme. Max Verstappen is leading handsomely in the World Championship, which makes some wonder whether this dominance is good for Formula 1. Jacques Villeneuve thinks so.
Indeed, the one-time world champion believes it is not much different from years ago. Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes were dominant before Verstappen's first world title, capturing all world titles several years in a row. Back then, you didn't hear anyone either, Villeneuve states in an interview with Motorsport.com.
The Canadian also thinks Verstappen is simply on a different level, which he says makes it logical for him to win so much. "Well, he is better than the rest. Other than that. Therefore, it makes no sense at all to shout that it is detrimental [to F1]. It's not the rules that make him the best. He is simply the best. Earlier Lewis and Mercedes were and then you didn't hear anyone complaining. Why didn't they complain about Lewis, but now they do about Max? I don't know what's behind that."
Who should Red Bull choose?
Verstappen has been crushing his teammates for years. Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon and Sergio Perez all know that the 25-year-old Dutchman is almost unbeatable. The latter has struggled tremendously this year and speculation is rife in the media about his future at Red Bull as Verstappen's teammate. Perez is still contracted until 2024, but his performance is not impressive.
What is Red Bull wise to do?"I would put a young guy in that car who is keen to show that he can be the next big star, and maybe also provide some upheaval," Villeneuve said, thus preferring to see Perez leave. He continued with a remarkable quote: "Max probably does want Lewis next to him, so he can show the world that he can beat him with the same car. That would then be his ultimate goal. I think he would like that, but I'm not sure Red Bull would see that."
Horner on Hamilton
Christian Horner was asked about a possible arrival of Hamilton during the F1 weekend in Austria. The team boss of the Milton Keynes-based racing stable virtually ruled out contracting the seven-time world champion. "It is nothing we have ever considered in the recent past. I mean, to pay those two drivers both ourselves, you would probably have to sell the factory," laughed the Briton.