Villeneuve saw Verstappen win important buttle, but: 'Red Bull is weakened'
Jacques Villeneuve believes that Max Verstappen never intended to leave Red Bull Racing. According to the 1997 world champion, the Verstappen camp came out on top after an internal power struggle within the team this year, which, in his opinion, is the right reason to stay for the time being.
Verstappen recently confirmed that he will stay with Red Bull until 2026, despite the disappointing performance of the RB21. The return to calm within the team certainly played a role in this decision.
Villeneuve: ‘Marko and Verstappen have beaten Horner’
Villeneuve understands the Dutchman's decision. “I think a lot of people grappled with this issue,” the Canadian told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“There was an internal war. Helmut Marko and Jos Verstappen won that war against Christian Horner.”
According to Villeneuve, this conflict has indeed affected the structure of the team. “All of this has undoubtedly weakened the team,” states the former Formula 1 driver.
However, he believes that leaving was never a real option for Verstappen: “Max will evaluate what he wants to do next year again, but leaving would have been a risk that – I think – was never really in the interest of the Verstappen camp.”
It has been clear for some time that Verstappen never really wanted to leave, and the four-time world champion - despite ongoing rumors about a possible move to Toto Wolff's Mercedes – has always emphasized this.
Moreover, 2026 is not immediately the best time for a change, as it is still unclear where all F1 teams stand when the new regulations come into force. Verstappen can therefore wait and see how his team performs in 2026 and, based on that, possibly explore his options.
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