Former F1 champion, Jacques Villeneuve, believes Max Verstappen has become the only remaining pillar of the Red Bull organisation that dominated Formula 1 between 2021 and 2024, describing the Dutchman as the “last soldier standing” following a wave of high-profile exits.
The 1997 Formula 1 World Champion says Red Bull now faces a major rebuilding process after losing several of the key figures who helped transform the team into a championship-winning force.
Speaking to Sky F1, Villeneuve argued that keeping Verstappen could be the team’s most important challenge, as uncertainty continues to surround its long-term future. Sources close to TJ13 inside the Milton Keynes Red Bull have revealed that the feeling within the team is one of concern regarding the future of the Dutchman.
Villeneuve highlights Verstappen’s importance to Red Bull
Verstappen is currently in his eleventh season with Red Bull, but the structure around him has changed dramatically in recent years.
The team has seen the departures of several influential figures, including former team principal Christian Horner, legendary designer Adrian Newey, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, and long-time advisor Helmut Marko. Race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is also set to leave in the future.
Villeneuve believes those losses have left Verstappen as Red Bull’s most valuable asset.
“They have to find a way to keep him there, because he is the only good thing about the team at the moment,” Villeneuve told Sky F1.
“Apart from the engine, because, as we have discovered, the engine is very good, the ICE part of the engine.”
Former champion points to internal struggles
According to Villeneuve, Red Bull’s problems extend beyond on-track performance. The Canadian suggested that internal politics have played a significant role in the team’s decline, from championship contender to a squad fighting to regain competitiveness.
“It has become a very political place over the last two or three years,” he said. “It seems there is so much internal conflict over who is going to take the lead, who is going to do what, and everyone has been kicked out.”
Villeneuve questioned whether Red Bull currently has a clear direction for the future, and suggested that uncertainty within the organisation remains unresolved.
“It is very difficult to see a good future at Red Bull.”
“It is really strange. They have been riding the wave, now they are going down. They haven’t hit rock bottom yet, that is a tough one.”
Concerns over Red Bull’s identity
Villeneuve also pointed to the apparent disappearance of one of Red Bull’s traditional strengths: its junior driver programme.
The talent system has previously produced world champions and race winners, including Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Verstappen himself. However, Villeneuve believes it no longer plays the prominent role it once did within the organisation.
“Even Marko was pushed aside, and now it seems like no one is talking about the young driver programme anymore.”
He added that Red Bull must first resolve its internal issues before it can begin rebuilding successfully.
“Everything is more or less destroyed and needs to be rebuilt, but how will it be rebuilt?”
“For that, we have to wait until all the political aspects have been settled.”
“We only talk about Max”
Despite Red Bull’s difficulties, Villeneuve believes Verstappen continues to mask many of the team’s weaknesses through his performances.
The former Williams driver argued that conversations about Red Bull now focus almost entirely on Verstappen, rather than the organisation itself.
“Nobody talks about the Red Bull team as, ‘Oh, the crazy, fun, fast team, they always find a solution’.”
“No, they aren’t even part of the equation anymore. We don’t talk about them, we only talk about Max.’
Villeneuve believes Verstappen’s ability remains the main reason Red Bull continues to feature in discussions at the front of Formula 1.
“Thank God he is here, because he can still drive this car fast. That is more the story at the moment – not the team, but Max.”
Last man standing…
“He was the last addition to the team, but now he is the last soldier standing. That makes it really, really difficult, because he can’t handle the team alone.”
While Villeneuve’s comments are characteristically direct, they reflect concerns that have also been communicated to TJ13 by sources within Red Bull’s Milton Keynes factory.
What has been described within the team is an atmosphere of unease regarding Verstappen’s future, with some fearing that the combination of declining competitiveness and the loss of key personnel could make it increasingly difficult for the team to convince the Dutchman that its next chapter can be as successful as its last.
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Craig Alderson is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Craig oversees newsroom operations and coordinates editorial output across the site. With a background in online sports reporting and motorsport magazine editing, he plays a key role in maintaining consistency, speed, and accuracy in TJ13’s coverage.
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