Jacques Villeneuve makes Max Verstappen title prediction and explains why he’s better than all his F1 rivals

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The 2025 Formula 1 drivers’ championship should be a two-way fight between McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, but try telling Max Verstappen that.

Red Bull have made advances in recent races with the RB21 that have suddenly put Max Verstappen back in contention.

Verstappen is currently 63 points behind Oscar Piastri in the drivers’ championship with six race weekends to go.

The pair are split by Lando Norris, and he made a title statement of his own at the last race in Singapore by brashly overtaking Piastri on the opening lap, causing a bit of tension between the two drivers.

Verstappen isn’t currently catching Piastri fast enough to win a fifth consecutive championship, but another crash or mechanical failure for McLaren could completely change that.

David Coulthard thinks Verstappen looks happier at Red Bull in recent races, and his wins at Monza and Baku have certainly turned some heads on the McLaren pit wall.

Now, 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve has been discussing this season’s championship battle, and the Canadian explained why he thinks Verstappen will overturn the deficit between now and Abu Dhabi.

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Jacques Villeneuve backs Max Verstappen to win the 2025 Formula 1 drivers’ championship

Villeneuve was a guest during Il Festival dello Sport di Trento 2025, and was asked who he believes will win the drivers’ championship this year, and he said: “Verstappen, and so it will be his best World Championship ever.

“Because the two McLaren drivers are suffering too much from the pressure.

“They need to wake up.”

When speaking about which driver is the best over a single lap, Villeneuve continued: “Max. And he is because he is the best, because he is also old school.

“He is very good on the simulator; he even races on it. But he is good on the track. He understands things from practice.

“He gives instructions to the engineers, perhaps against their data. And then it turns out that he’s often right. No one else does that, for a very simple reason: the others aren’t as good as he is.

“Once upon a time, there were four or five drivers at a similar level to the best. Take Senna, for example. That’s not the case now. Now, engineers want drivers who don’t talk, who do what they tell them to do.

“And so young drivers don’t learn certain things anymore.”

Hakkinen added: “Max is incredible, incredible in how complete he is. He’s the driver without teammates, because his teammates are never comparable to him.

“And that, more than anything else, is the measure of his greatness. He’s absolutely the best.”

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Max Verstappen has already overcome Jacques Villeneuve’s biggest worry about his F1 title chances

The upcoming races might not be perfect for Red Bull in terms of the circuits, but that won’t worry Verstappen.

He’s a previous winner at each of the last six tracks Formula 1 will visit this year, and has pulled off some memorable victories in the process.

Coulthard admitted Verstappen’s win in Sao Paulo last year made him ‘fall in love’ with F1 again after charging through the pack during one of the wettest races in recent memory.

He’s enjoyed the stadium atmosphere of winning in Mexico City, and one victory in Abu Dhabi will always stand out during his career.

Villeneuve was worried about Verstappen’s chances in Singapore, and while he was no match for George Russell, he still beat both McLaren drivers.

That will give him even more confidence that he can further cut down Piastri’s lead when the paddock reaches the United States Grand Prix this weekend.