Max Verstappen - Photo: RacePictures

'Verstappen can drive a car that others struggle with, that is a skill'

11:23, 17 Dec

Updated: 11:31, 17 Dec

byTobia Elia

Jacques Villeneuve believes Red Bull do not build cars tailored specifically around Max Verstappen but he is the one who makes the difference.

“Max can drive a car that others struggle with. That is a skill, not a design choice”

- Jacques Villeneuve

Speaking to Sky Sports, the 1997 world champion explained that engineers are solely focused on chasing lap time — and that it is the four-time world champion who truly sets himself apart, thanks to his ability to adapt to any car.

“That is a misunderstanding. The car is not made for Max. It is made to be as fast as possible. Engineers chase lap time. They do not say 'let us build a car only one driver can handle.' Max can drive a car that others struggle with. That is a skill, not a design choice.”

The Canadian believes the reason other drivers appear to struggle so badly compared to Verstappen is that they try to copy what he does — only to end up making mistakes or being slower as a result.

Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

“When they try to copy Max, they make mistakes. That is when it looks like the car is against them. We saw the same with Schumacher, with Senna. The best drivers make difficult cars look easy.”

Norris 'not the driver who can compete with Verstappen' despite F1 title

Former F1 driver Riccardo Patrese believes there is only one driver capable of going toe-to-toe with Max Verstappen — and it’s not newly crowned world champion Lando Norris.

According to the Italian, there is just one driver who, over the years, has proven he can genuinely take the fight to the four-time world champion, despite never having the same machinery to mount a title challenge.

Here’s who he’s talking about.

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