Villeneuve critical: "In the past, you had five drivers like Verstappen every year"

Jacques Villeneuve, never one to shy away from blunt opinions, has criticised the current Formula 1 grid. The 1997 world champion argued that Max Verstappen is not inherently more exceptional than the very best drivers of the past—it only appears that way because he feels today’s field lacks depth

In conversation with RacingNews365, Villeneuve compares the F1 of then and now. "Right now, an average driver can look acceptable," the 54-year-old explained. "If you look at the past, an average driver would be two seconds off the pace, the way the cars were. Now, an average driver will be half a second [behind]. Okay, that's acceptable, but you meant less difference."

The 54-year-old Canadian also attributed this to the current generation of cars. He explained that modern F1 machines are more stable, with drivers forced to manage tyres and other elements by driving at a reduced pace during races. As a result, Villeneuve believes the sport not only produces a different kind of car but also a different kind of driver.

Villeneuve: ‘In the past, you had five drivers like Verstappen every year’

While Max Verstappen is often praised for his extraordinary talent, Jacques Villeneuve places that acclaim in historical context. The 1997 world champion does not necessarily believe the Dutchman is superior to the greats of the past, but he does argue that Verstappen is the only driver in the current field operating at that level."If you look at the past, in Ayrton Senna and [Alain] Prost's era, you had five drivers like Max [Verstappen] every year," he said.”

According to Villeneuve, the landscape today is very different."Now you only have Max, so the playing field is... now there's a lot of good drivers, where before there were a few extremely good drivers and a bunch of good drivers. So, think the whole scheme has changed. Max is not better than the very good ones of the past," Villeneuve explained. "He's alone right now, so he stands out. He makes the difference. He is a pure racer, and there's not many of them anymore.”