Jacques Villeneuve: There were five drivers like Max Verstappen every year in the era of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost

1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve claimed that drivers like Max Verstappen weren't uncommon back in the late 1980s, when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were fronting the grid. He also mentioned that the only advantage Verstappen has is that he does not have enough competition to face from other drivers on the grid.

Max Verstappen has proven to be one of the finest drivers Formula 1 has ever produced. He became the youngest driver to win an F1 race back in 2016, and began his era of domination with Red Bull, clinching four consecutive world championships between 2021 and 2024. He broke multiple records and remains in third place in the championship standings, despite RBR's performance consistently declining.

However, Jacques Villeneuve does not find Max Verstappen any different from past drivers. The Canadian claimed that there were multiple drivers like Verstappen during the days of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. He also mentioned that the Dutchman is not any greater than the legendary drivers of the past, but only makes a difference because his fellow drivers are not competitive.

"If we look at the past, in the era of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, every year there were five drivers like Max," he told RacingNews365 . "Max is not stronger than the greats of the past, but right now he is alone, so he stands out and makes the difference ."

Villeneuve further added that Verstappen is a "pure driver.":

"He's a pure driver, and there aren't many like that anymore," he added. "Today there are many good drivers, whereas before there were a few very strong drivers and a group of good drivers. The whole system has changed."

As mentioned, however, Verstappen hasn't been battling at the top this season owing to a decline in Red Bull's performance against the dominating McLaren. The championship has been slipping away from his grasp with every passing race, as Oscar Piastri currently leads the standings with a 97-point gap to Verstappen.

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Max Verstappen reinforces his trust with Red Bull Racing.

Reports surfaced claiming Mercedes was in contact with Max Verstappen to drive for them in the 2026 F1 season with the new regulations. Even though the 27-year-old has a contract with Red Bull till the 2028 season, an exit clause is understood to be a part of his contract, based on the team's overall performance in the championship.

However, Verstappen recently cleared all rumors. Speaking with F1 earlier, he mentioned that he doesn't need to "say anything" on such Paddock rumors; moreover, he stated that he is focused on the team's goals for the 2026 season.

"Well, the thing is that there's always other people speaking a lot, while I'm not really talking, because first of all I don't need to, I don't need to say anything," Max Verstappen told F1.

He added:

"I think that's also better for everyone, instead of just waffling things around. It makes no sense anyway, it's a bit of a waste of time, but for me I'm very focused on '26 with the team, to look ahead and make sure that we nail the regulations, and that we are competitive from the start."

Red Bull Racing will no longer have Honda powering their cars at the end of the current season. The team will develop its own powertrains. This will be paired with the same time as the new engine regulations in the 2026 F1 season.