Sharp criticism

Villeneuve scathes: “Verstappen doesn’t fight hard!”

Twilight of the gods in Formula 1, farewell to the previous pecking order in the premier class of motorsport, no title defense for Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen? Yes, it seems to be heading in that direction! And according to former world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who now works as a pundit for Sky, this is not only due to the weakness of the Austro-British racing team, but also to Verstappen. In Baku, the Dutchman's performance caused the Canadian to frown and be disappointed, because: "He doesn't fight very hard!"

It is indeed irritating when you consider that the words "aggressiveness" and "fighting spirit" have been used almost synonymously with the name "Verstappen" in the past, with the Red Bull star often finding gaps that were not there, even with inferior equipment.

"... looked dejected!"
"Something has changed," says Villeneuve, "even in the last few races he has seemed down. Even on the radio, he can hardly be heard".

And when Verstappen did make himself heard over the radio, he was less likely to come up with success strategies or questions about them, but rather with complaints about his car.

"... and that his team-mate was faster!"
Sometimes he complained about his "jumping" RB 20, then about the "lack of grip on the rear axle" and finally about the lack of balance between the front and rear axles.

But even this criticism was voiced by Verstappen, who was known for his violent outbursts of rage earlier in the season, in a comparatively foamy voice ...

Villeneuve says that it is new for Verstappen that a car "simply doesn't drive the way he prefers and that his team-mate was faster. That is a very unusual situation".