Ever since Red Bull took back the ‘top dog’ spot from Mercedes, they have pushed to achieve perfection in all aspects of Formula 1 racing. The need for perfection could act as an explanation behind the team’s ruthless domination throughout the season. They currently have two unbeaten streaks: Max Verstappen’s run in the last ten races and Red Bull’s unbeaten run throughout the season. Looking at their domination, Fernando Alonso can’t help but wonder how they have been able to achieve so much this season.
Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff have been far from impressed by their fierce rivals’ achievements, with the latter labeling them irrelevant. Wolff added Verstappen’s achievement was only for a Wikipedia entry that no one reads. On the other hand, the most experienced driver on the grid set aside his emotions and could only express his surprise at the mammoth achievement by the Austrian outfit and their Dutch driver.
Fernando Alonso amazed at Red Bull’s achievements in 2023
Red Bull Racing has not lost a race since the Brazilian GP in 2022. In the 15 races since then, it has always been a Red Bull driver who has picked up the winner’s trophy at the end of a race. Max Verstappen has been on an unstoppable run, as he has won thirteen of the fifteen races, with ten of those coming back-to-back in the last ten races of this season. As such, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso couldn’t help but express his respect for his rivals.
“I don’t know what these people eat or drink. They are the best at everything: they have the fastest car and driver, they don’t make mistakes, they make the fastest pit stops, the best starts, the best strategies.”
Fernando Alonso on Red Bull’s dominance: “I don’t know what these people eat or drink.”
“They are the best at everything: they have the fastest car and driver, they don’t make mistakes, they make the fastest pit stops, the best starts, the best strategies.”
“At the moment they… pic.twitter.com/mo96Iuzsi2
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) September 5, 2023
The Spaniard also mentioned Red Bull has no weak points so far, and all the other teams on the grid are working on finding one so that they can try and take advantage of it. Not only has he been appreciative of the Milton-Keynes-based outfit, but he also once claimed their Dutch driver to be an underrated name on the grid.
Alonso’s believes Verstappen deserves more credit than he gets
After a thrilling encounter in Zandvoort that saw Verstappen win his third consecutive home GP, Alonso revealed he believes the Dutchman does not receive the appreciation he should for his achievements. He stated that to win in such a dominant manner in any sport is extremely tough, and people underestimate Verstappen’s achievements this season. Given F1 drivers are high on confidence, the 42-year-old added he believes he could have reciprocated Verstappen’s success if he drove the RB19. However, the veteran driver says the two-time defending world champion has something that separates him from the rest of the grid.
#F1 Alonso a los colegas de The Race @wearetherace:
“Para ganar como lo hace Verstappen hay que estar siempre al 100%, yo me siento así ahora pero hubo carreras en que no lo logré. Él esta casi siempre en ese nivel. Pienso que muchos subestiman lo que está logrando Verstappen” pic.twitter.com/7RcZ7fR3Zi— Fernando Tornello 🌎🏁 (@F1Tornello) August 28, 2023
On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton believes it is more about the car than the driver. The Briton says the dominance of RB19 has greatly influenced the achievements of his arch-rival and that raw driving skills are not enough to help a team win races. Verstappen responded to the 38-year-old’s comments and stated there have been much more dominant cars in the past than the RB19, still they couldn’t manage to win nine consecutive races and “however many consecutive races we have as a team.” According to him, winning requires much more than a strong car.
