Not many drivers can boast of winning three consecutive world championships in F1. Not only has Max Verstappen achieved that feat, he looks to be on course to add another to the tally. This immaculate run has led to Jacques Villeneuve making a comparison between the Dutchman and Michael Schumacher.
The Canadian supports his argument through a comparison, where he finds Verstappen, Schumacher, and Fernando Alonso in the same boat. Villeneuve believes that Schumacher and Verstappen never let go of an opportunity to win the championship when they could. While Alonso did, he came close to winning on multiple occasions while driving for Ferrari.
“Verstappen certainly has what it takes to match Michael Schumacher’s number of titles,” Villeneuve said while speaking with Grosvenor Sport. “Max is still hungry and competitive and always goes for the win. Max will not be defeated. In the right situation, he will always be there to win a championship”.
Villeneuve: “Max is still hungry and competitive and always goes for the win. Max will not be defeated. In the right situation, he will always be there to win a championship.”
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Verstappen’s 2021 championship win proves Villeneuve’s point with aplomb. The Dutchman drove an equal car, if not inferior to Lewis Hamilton’s, and came out on top.
Since then, he has enjoyed unprecedented dominance with the help of a couple of super-quick cars. That dominance crescendoed in 2023 when the defending champion bagged a staggering 19 race wins out of 22.
Unfortunately, for Red Bull and Verstappen, that sort of dominance did not continue in 2024 as the team looks to have hit the ceiling of development under the current set of regulations. While Verstappen still looks poised to continue the championship-winning run in 2024, there is a good chance that he might not in 2025.
Have Verstappen and Red Bull run out of steam?
Dumping the blame for Red Bull’s recent struggles on Verstappen would be unjust. The reigning champion has bagged 393 of Red Bull’s 544 points with just three more races to go in the season. While the team looks set to finish third in the constructors’ championship, Verstappen has practically sealed the drivers’ title on merit.
Managing that in 2025 would be a far tougher task, though. That is because of the big strides teams like Ferrari and McLaren have taken in developing their cars.
Both teams have bagged multiple race wins over the 2024 season and are favorites to finish ahead of Red Bull. That run might well continue in the upcoming season as the effects of this development will only carry over to the next cars.
Another thing that Verstappen needs to be wary of is Hamilton joining Ferrari in 2025. The Briton’s ability to extract top results with a championship-worthy car is well-known. Moreover, his four-year title drought and the shared rivalry with Verstappen in 2021 will only flare up his desire to defeat the Dutchman.
