Jacques Villeneuve Claims Max Verstappen Is “Not in the Right Mental Space” in 2026

Jacques Villeneuve made a bold claim that Max Verstappen was not in the right mental space because of Red Bull's consistent problems.

Jacques Villeneuve Claims Max Verstappen Is “Not in the Right Mental Space” in 2026

Max Verstappen (via Red Bull), Jacques Villeneuve (via Motorsport)

In Short
  • Max Verstappen has struggled with the new regulations in 2026, including a crash in Australia and a disappointing P8 start in China.
  • Jacques Villeneuve criticized Verstappen's current mental state, stating he is frustrated and feels the car is undrivable.
  • Despite early season challenges, there is hope that Red Bull can improve and help Verstappen contend for race wins.

Max Verstappen has suffered from a dismal start to the new regulations in 2026. The Dutchman crashed his RB22 challenger in the very first Qualifying session in Australia. Moreover, Verstappen could only salvage a P8 start to the main race of the Chinese GP. As such, the 1997 champion, Jacques Villeneuve, shares his honest opinion on the four-time champion’s mental space in the 2026 season.

Since the early days of the 2026 season, Max Verstappen was wary of the challenge and was not sugarcoating the situation. Many other drivers even frowned on the complexity of the new regulation. Following mediocre outings in the initial test sessions, Verstappen wasn’t dreaming of a picture-perfect start to the season. Now, after suffering from a disappointing start to the year, he certainly isn’t feeling his best.

Jacques Villeneuve pointed out the differences between the struggles of the 2025 season and this season. The Canadian recalled that Red Bull’s previous challenger was responding to Max Verstappen and his driving style, despite other issues in terms of performance on track. Though the car was off the pace, it was fine-tuned for the Dutchman, and he ultimately achieved success with it.

However, now, Jacques Villeneuve asserted that Max Verstappen was all over the place. Moreover, the one-time champion explained that Verstappen’s only information about the car right now is that it is undrivable. Villeneuve is sure that the Dutchman is frustrated with the entire situation, and most definitely isn’t in the right mental space either.

Not really, because last year they had a car that was responding to Max and his driving style. Maybe it was a little bit off the pace, but they could fine-tune it. Right now, he’s all over the place. He has no feedback. He doesn’t know, he just knows the car is undrivable. He doesn’t know what to do with it, and he’s frustrated. So he’s not even in the right mental space.

Jacques Villeneuve told Sky Sports F1.

Max Verstappen gives “no words” verdict on Red Bull’s disappointing pace

Max Verstappen isn’t satisfied with his current situation despite giving it his all on the track. Following a crash in the Australian GP Qualifying, Verstappen managed to achieve an impressive comeback on track. The Dutchman charged from P20 to ultimately finish in P6. Moreover, the Dutchman expected the problems faced in Australia to continue in China as well.

Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)
Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)

Following a mediocre outing in the Sprint race, and finishing in P9. Max Verstappen had far from positive remarks. The Dutchman accepted that he did not have a lot to say about race pace. Moreover, he emphasized that the balance of the car was poor, and he suffered from the highest amount of tire degradation compared to the rivals. As such, Red Bull must desperately work on their current form.

I have not a lot of words at the moment, to be honest, Everything that could go wrong went wrong. The start is one problem that we have to fix, but then after that, the balance is all over the place. Probably the highest degradation of everyone out there, which is just uncontrollable.

Max Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.

The 2026 season is off to a rocky start for Max Verstappen and Co. However, if history is any indication, Red Bull will achieve a turnaround in pace alongside Verstappen and soon start contending for race wins. Now, time will tell about how the constructor manages to turn their season over and fulfill the Dutchman’s needs from the challenger.

Read More: Max Verstappen Brands Red Bull Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying Performance a ‘Disaster’