Daniil Kvyat is struggling to deal with the pressure of driving for Red Bull.
That is the claim of the outspoken 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.
"Last year he did ok at Toro Rosso," said the French Canadian, "but it was nothing special."
Russian Kvyat, 20, was promoted from the junior team over the winter to replace the Ferrari-bound Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull Racing.
"Red Bull is good at creating a hype around someone," Villeneuve told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, "but F1 is also about handling the pressure."
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, however, said it is not fair to judge Kvyat following the team’s disastrous start to 2015.
"I think the problem is that he has had to face so many difficulties," he said.
"When his car was working well, he showed he is up to the job, as in Malaysia.
"We have no doubts about his speed, he gives good feedback, and after he gets some consistency, then we will see his potential," added Horner.