“Fernando Alonso is like Max Verstappen” – Former world champion says he is still impressed by the 40-year-old

Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve has drawn a comparison between Fernando Alonso and reigning champion Max Verstappen.

Fernando Alonso took a break from F1 in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He only returned to the paddock last year signing a new deal with the Alpine.

While he faced some difficulties with the car in the 2021 season, he delivered some very impressive performances. One of them came during the 2021 Hungarian GP when Alonso kept Hamilton at bay for 11 laps in the final stages of the race.

His purpose was to help his teammate Esteban Ocon finish on the podium as he was already leading the race. Ocon, eventually did as he took his maiden win.

Another impressive performance by the Spaniard came at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix when he stormed through the track to take P3. The most recent came at the 2022 Canadian GP, where the Alpine driver finished P3 yet again.

Thus the former champion Jacques Villeneuve thinks Alonso has still got it in him and has not let himself off the hook.

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Similarities between Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen

Villeneuve thinks that the Spaniard is as relentless as the reigning champion Max Verstappen. He said that Alonso never gives up on anything.

He is race passionate and he’s a fighter, he just never gives anything up. He’s always hungry for more. It’s amazing,” he said.

“At some point, age can come into play. Alonso will be 42 by the end of 2023, but Villeneuve does not think that is insurmountable.”

“The hunger is still there, so you might lose a tenth or two but that gets overly compensated by experience. And as you can see how he’s a very experienced driver. He’s not the youngest on the grid but look what he’s doing against [Esteban] Ocon now. He’s there when it’s needed,” said Villeneuve.

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