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Jacques Villeneuve believes it would not “be easy” for Red Bull racer Max Verstappen to join McLaren or Mercedes and partner with Lando Norris or Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Four-time F1 champion Verstappen has relentlessly seen his name be linked with a potential move to McLaren or Mercedes, given that he can break out of his contract with Red Bull. He is certain to enter the summer break in a position where his release clause will be available.
Red Bull needed Verstappen to rank in the top two in the drivers’ standings after this week’s Hungarian Grand Prix for the release clause to become void. But Verstappen is only seventh in the standings through 10/22 rounds, and he trails Lewis Hamilton in second by 68 points.
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Jacques Villeneuve picks Carlos Sainz as his dream F1 teammate for Max Verstappen
It is expected that Verstappen will stay with Red Bull for at least 2027, however, as McLaren insist that Oscar Piastri is staying. George Russell is adamant that he is staying at Mercedes, as well, after numerous reports suggested that his drive was at risk like Piastri’s at McLaren.
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Villeneuve is not surprised that Verstappen would garner interest from F1’s top teams, as he fully believes that the 28-year-old is central to the driver market. The 1997 champion even suggests that F1 teams looking for a driver would not have a choice but to eye Verstappen.
“Verstappen controls the driver market,” Villeneuve said, via Motorsport-Magazin. “Every team with a free seat should be interested in him. He’s an exceptional talent. Racing is his sole focus. There are not many drivers at his level right now. You don’t really have a choice.”
But while Villeneuve believes that “every team” looking for a driver should sign Verstappen, he does not feel the Dutchman would find it “easy” if he were to join McLaren or Mercedes. Verstappen would be going into a rival’s home if he were to partner with Norris or Antonelli.
He said: “If you go to McLaren, Lando Norris is the world champion. If you go to Mercedes, Kimi Antonelli is the golden boy. It will never be easy to switch to one of those teams.”
So, if Villeneuve were in charge of an F1 team, he would view Williams driver Carlos Sainz as a dream teammate for Verstappen. While Sainz and Verstappen had a tense tenure together at Toro Rosso whilst rookies in 2015, Villeneuve respects how the Spaniard improves teams.
“He’s a very good team member,” Villeneuve said about Sainz. “He managed to move every team he’s been with forward and help shape it. Besides, they’re both sons of racing drivers.”
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Sainz and Verstappen both made their F1 debuts with Toro Rosso in 2015, and both viewed it as their chance to impress the parent Red Bull team. But when the time came to promote a driver to replace Daniil Kvyat early in 2016, Red Bull overlooked Sainz to have Verstappen.
That decision seemingly continued to carry weight in more recent times, too. It was claimed that Helmut Marko opposed pairing Sainz with Verstappen at Red Bull in 2025, owing to the fact the Spaniard left the family entirely after he was overlooked in favour of the Dutchman.
Sainz insists that he gets on well with Verstappen, despite Marko also previously describing the atmosphere at Toro Rosso as “quite toxic” while they were teammates. So, if Villeneuve were a team owner and signed Verstappen and Sainz, their real relationship would emerge.
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