Villeneuve claims 'Verstappen unbeatable', not Red Bull

1997 Formula 1 World Champion has claimed that Max Verstappen, not Red Bull, has been the dominant force in 2023.

Red Bull has been the class leader this season with 16 wins from 17 races ahead of the United States Grand Prix, only being defeated in Singapore by Ferrari.

14 of those wins, including a record 10 straight, have fallen to Verstappen with both titles wrapped up by the Qatar Sprint race in a second straight championship double for the team.

Although Red Bull has been the class of the field this year, Villeneuve has asserted that it is Verstappen who has made the difference.

"It wrong to say Red Bull is unbeatable, Max is," Villeneuve told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"One has to remember that Mercedes was a second faster than the rest when they dominated.

“There was a fight at that time only because there was a conflict between Mercedes' drivers.

"Red Bull is not a second faster than the rest of the field. They struggle to grab pole positions and if they do it at all, it's by a tenth of a second."

Perez showing true level

Verstappen has comfortably outperformed team-mate Sergio Perez this campaign.

Perez has struggled for form throughout the year and has scored just five points in the last three races.

Continuing his praise of Verstappen, Villeneuve has suggested that Perez is showing the true level of this year's Red Bull car.

"Verstappen has taken the poles, not Perez,” he said. “The Mexican is much further back each time, which shows the level of the car.

“Verstappen is a beast. He won the titles in the last three years. His car was not the deciding factor.”