Villeneuve: Red Bull Is 'Going Down' and Hasn't Reached Bottom Yet

Jacques Villeneuve has issued a stark warning that Red Bull is in the middle of a serious decline, arguing the team has lost its identity and has yet to reach rock bottom. The 1997 world champion believes internal power struggles and a wave of high-profile departures have stripped the Milton Keynes squad of the foundation that once made it dominant, leaving Verstappen as the lone pillar of a weakened organization.

Why it matters:

Red Bull's slump is more than a temporary performance dip. Villeneuve describes the team as politically fractured, with key architects of its past success gone and Max Verstappen left as the "last remaining soldier." If the Dutchman loses faith in the team's direction while Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren gain ground, Red Bull could lose its single biggest asset at the worst possible moment.

The details:

• After a brief upturn between Miami and Canada that saw Verstappen take his first podium of the season in Montreal, momentum stalled badly. Monaco brought a costly retirement, while Barcelona exposed a clear pace deficit to Ferrari and Mercedes as Verstappen finished just outside the top three.
• Speaking on the Sky F1 Show podcast, Villeneuve claimed Red Bull has "gotten rid of everyone that's made this team what it is," destroying the environment needed to develop a winning car. He noted that Verstappen arrived after the team was built, yet now carries the burden alone.
• The Canadian pointed to leadership infighting as a root cause, suggesting the organization must resolve its political turmoil before it can rebuild its technical strength.
• Verstappen recently visited the Milton Keynes factory to review the much-discussed RB22 updates ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, signaling his direct involvement in the recovery effort.

What's next:

The next few races will test whether Red Bull's upgrade package can reverse the trend and close the gap to its rivals. Should Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren continue to pull away, speculation over Verstappen's long-term future will only intensify. For now, the team must prove it can rebuild around its star driver before the political dust settles.