Four-time world champion Alain Prost believes Max Verstappen will secure his fourth world championship by the end of 2024. Despite his recent setback in Australia, Prost is sure that Verstappen won’t face any significant issues that will derail him from his championship goals.
Prost himself is a four-time world champion and one of the sport’s greatest. To this date, there are only two four-time world champions with Sebastian Vettel joining the Frenchman in this rather short list. Per Prost, Verstappen will be the latest addition.
Prost said to Servus TV as quoted by FormulaPassion,
“For riders, then as now, the head is as important as a heavy right foot… To become world champion you have to combine speed with consistency. It’s not enough to win a few races. Once you win your first title, the philosophy changes. I don’t see Max as having a problem from this point of view. I see Verstappen as motivated on the way to a fourth title as he was a year ago on the way to a third.”
Verstappen entered the 2024 season with many expecting him to win all 24 races. This won’t be the case anymore, after Carlos Sainz won the Australian GP, a weekend that also saw Verstappen retire from the race due to a brake issue.
This was his first DNF in 43 races, ending his streak of finishing in the points in as many races. However, it is unlikely that this will be a regular occurrence, because Red Bull as a team seem to be in a great place right now despite Ferrari’s resurgence. Verstappen, hence, remains the firm favorite to win the 2024 title, with others just a tad too far away from dethroning the Red Bull ace. Prost added that Verstappen’s championship mentality will also help him retain his title.
Why Prost thinks Max Verstappen will prevail
There are many reasons why Verstappen is the favorite to win his fourth championship in 2024. Among them, his character is what makes him stand out the most, according to Prost. The former McLaren driver added that Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris could turn out to be the 26-year-old’s main rival in 2024, and possibly next season.
Sainz and Leclerc are proven race winners in F1, and Norris is one of the sport’s biggest talents- labeled as a future world champion. However, the only area they lack in compared to Verstappen is their consistency. Additionally, Verstappen’s nature of driving only for himself is vital when it comes to winning week in week out.
His speed, agility, and precision combined with his attitude, and hunger for wins, impressed Prost the most. These are primarily the reasons why in spite of other teams closing in to Red Bull, Prost expects Verstappen to retain his world championship.
