"I think Max Verstappen is an insult": When Jacques Villeneuve opined against the Dutch driver debuting in F1 at 17 years of age

Former F1 world champion and pundit Jacques Villeneuve previously claimed that Max Verstappen was an "insult," as he opposed the Dutchman's debut at 17 in the sport. The Dutch driver became the youngest driver in F1 history as he made his debut racing for Toro Rosso in 2015 as a 17-year-old.

Before signing with the Faenza-based outfit, Verstappen competed in open-wheel racing for just over a year after he finished P3 in his only year in the F3 series. Despite limited experience, both Mercedes and Red Bull were keen to sign the 17-year-old, with the latter winning out after they offered a drive in Toro Rosso instead of another year in the junior categories.

Speaking with Omnicorse, Jacques Villeneuve was not excited by the prospect of seeing a young Max Verstappen race in F1 and had given his brutal verdict in late 2014, saying (as per Motorsport.com):

"Should I tell you the truth? I think Max is an insult. Do Red Bull realise they are putting a child in Formula One? I do not doubt that he is fast, but he has no experience. I arrived in F1 when I was 25, after winning in Indycars.

"Before you are fighting against the lives of others, you have to learn, and it is not F1's role to teach. The debut of a 17-year-old is a negative message for F1 and I think the impact so far has not been as positive as Red Bull expected."

Max Verstappen delivered a strong rookie campaign with Toro Rosso in 2015 and a year later was promoted to Red Bull. He then impressed the world when he won the Spanish GP in his first outing with the Austrian team.

Ever since, the now 27-year-old has earned four successive driver championships from 2021 to 2024, all in Red Bull machinery.

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Red Bull advisor projects a worrying image for Max Verstappen after Spain 2025

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko stated that Max Verstappen cannot "commit any offenses" for the next two races, as the threat of a race ban looms large post his antics in last weekend's Spanish GP.

The Austrian wrote in his column for Speedweek:

"Now he can't commit any offenses over the next two race weekends, and of course, he'll be told not to do anything rash. It would be a catastrophe if he couldn't start in Austria. But we don't expect that to happen, because it's certainly not the case that Max does something wrong in every race. After Austria, the first penalty points will be removed."

Max Verstappen was given three penalty points for ramming into the side of George Russell's car in Barcelona, which took his total to 11 points, a point behind getting an automatic race ban.