“It’s not easy”: Jacques Villeneuve explains how RB can find Max Verstappen’s ideal teammate

Former F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve explained why Red Bull cannot find Max Verstappen's replacement as they continue to struggle with their second car. The team has been out of the Constructors' Championship contention since last year, all while Verstappen has managed to deliver impressive results.

The Dutchman has brought much success to the team since 2021. He managed to win four consecutive championships; however, that wasn't the case with the Constructors' as the team only clinched two. The main reason for missing out on the title last year was their second car's performance.

While Verstappen won most races, his teammate, Sergio Perez, struggled in the second part of the season. Red Bull then replaced him for this season with Liam Lawson. Shockingly enough, they then swapped Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda after just two races. Despite the many driver changes, however, Red Bull Racing's second car has continued to be largely uncompetitive this season. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen has managed to win three races so far in the season.

Former F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve provided an explanation for the same. He suggested that Verstappen is an "old-fashioned" driver and that it would be rather difficult to find another driver like him.

"Max is an old fashioned driver, and there’s not many like him anymore," he said (via PlanetF1). "There used to be more, [but] there’s not many like Max anymore, so to find another driver that will work with the team, work on the car to make it his and to help the team progress, it’s not easy."

He further explained why most drivers cannot replicate what Verstappen brings to the team, giving a unique perspective on the situation created at Red Bull.

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Villeneuve explains what Max Verstappen's teammate miss out in the team

Max Verstappen is known to have quite a unique driving style. It is said that he likes his car to be pointy at the front, allowing him to oversteer into the corners, and then adjusting the rest of the curve accordingly. However, driving styles are really unique, and drivers are required to adjust them through different setups.

This is what Verstappen's teammates lack, as per Villeneuve. He explained that while the Dutchman understands and sets his car up according to himself, his teammates fail to replicate it. Moreover, he suggested that they usually continue with a setup similar to Verstappen's.

"But some drivers, and there’s a lot of them, they just come in and they don’t know how to work on a setup," he added. "They just say, ‘oh yeah, I’ve got a little bit of understeer.’ Okay, well, why? What’s happening? What do you feel on the ground? They don’t have an idea." "They just say, ‘okay, if Max does this, I’ll do the same.’ That doesn’t help. During the season, they get further and further away.":

As mentioned, Max Verstappen has been rather consistent and competitive this season despite the car's overall pace. He has managed to win three races so far. While this does not make him a contender for the World Championship, he sits in a comfortable third place in the standings.

Edited by Gunaditya Tripathi