Villeneuve: Verstappen Is 'Last Remaining Soldier' in 'Destroyed' Red Bull

Jacques Villeneuve has delivered a scathing assessment of Red Bull's decline, calling Max Verstappen the "last remaining soldier" in a team stripped of the architects behind its dynasty. The 1997 world champion argues that relentless internal politics and a wave of high-profile exits have hollowed out the culture and left the squad sliding down the 2026 grid.

Why it matters:

Red Bull's dominance relied on a tight-knit culture that won four consecutive titles. With Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, Helmut Marko, and race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase all gone or leaving, that foundation has crumbled. Verstappen is the last link to the glory years, and if he loses patience, the team's fall could become irreversible.

The details:

• The brain drain: Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, and Helmut Marko have all departed. Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will join McLaren in 2028, severing another critical bond.
• On-track slump: Red Bull has languished off the pace through the opening seven rounds of 2026, with Verstappen managing just a single podium.
• Political rot: Villeneuve told Sky F1 the team has become "a very political place" consumed by power struggles, destroying the "crazy, fun, fast" identity that once made it feared.
• Verstappen's burden: Villeneuve noted that while Verstappen excels at developing a car, he cannot design one alone. The team has lost the people who built the infrastructure that attracted him.

What's next:

Red Bull must settle its leadership wars and rebuild its technical brain trust before Verstappen's patience expires. It needs to prove it can offer a competitive car and a stable environment, or risk watching its last star follow his former colleagues out the door. Right now, the grid talks about Max, not the team.