Max Verstappen dominated F1 in 2022, achieving 15 race victories to secure his 2nd championship. The Dutchman could better his record this season based on Red Bull’s stellar start to the season, says F1 veteran Fernando Alonso. Yet, The Spaniard believes Verstappen could show his weaknesses once a rival pushes him, which according to his interview in DAZN, is not happening.
Alonso has often praised the Red Bull driver’s aggressive driving. The Spaniard believes Verstappen is one of the most versatile drivers in the current grid and expects him to dominate the sport for a long time.
In the last two campaigns, Verstappen has made calm and composed exhibitions on the track, which seamlessly made him win the last title, and is on the verge of securing another. But is Verstappen that dominant? Or are things not tough enough for him? Questions Alonso.
Max Verstappen has no weaknesses
Fernando Alonso believes Max Verstappen will certainly claim his hat trick of championships this year. The Aston Martin driver was all praises when asked to describe what it’s like to race against the Red Bull prodigy. But he thinks other drivers are making things easy for him.
Alonso remarked, “Maybe we’re making it easy for him because he wins with a few seconds ahead. Let’s see if we push him and some of his mistakes appear.”
The qualifying lap time comparison between Verstappen and Alonso in Monaco is fascinating to watch 👀
(via @Formuladdict) pic.twitter.com/ftidlBl3k1
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) May 28, 2023
While Alonso admits, Verstappen has Red Bull’s superior pace advantage this season. However, the 41-year-old believes the Red Bull driver could crack under pressure if he is pushed to the limit.
In 2021, Lewis Hamilton managed to put pressure on the driver until the season’s last race. Verstappen made several errors as the championship fight went down to the wire.
Fernando Alonso is aiming for number 33 and Aston Martin’s first win
Fernando Alonso managed to push Max Verstappen to the limit in the 2023 Monaco GP. The Dutchman beat Alonso’s qualifying time by 0.084 seconds to claim the pole position. The Spaniard forced the Red Bull driver to complete over 50 laps in the mediums on Sunday’s race.
Alonso was unsuccessful in claiming his first race win in over a decade. But he achieved Aston Marint’s best season result by finishing P2. This was Alonso’s 5th podium in the first 6 races of the season.
The Spaniard was satisfied with the result, yet he remains determined to achieve his 33rd race win this season. He said, “I’m happy with what happened in Monaco. Fighting for pole position and staying at 84 thousandths of a second and being second.”
The driver added, “After many third places, in the end, we have climbed a step on the podium and only the last one is missing.”
Alonso’s next race will be his home Grand Prix in Spain, where the “No.33” trend has kicked off in full gear. It will be emotional if he secures a win in front of his home crowd in the circuit where he recorded his last F1 win. But with Red Bul dominating the season, it remains to doubt whether this dream is attainable.
