“He really deserves it”– Max Verstappen thinks Fernando Alonso should be at top of the grid

Max Verstappen thinks Fernando Alonso deserves to be at the top of the grid as the Spaniard still has the capacity to challenge.

Max Verstappen, the newly crowned F1 champion, has been up against Fernando Alonso several times in his limited time in Formula 1. After 2018, Alonso left F1 to ply his trade in IndyCar.

Only to return to F1 with Alpine in less than two years. The Spaniard in 2021 had an impressive campaign with the French constructors. Seeing the exploits of Alonso at 40, Verstappen thinks that the former deserves to be at the top of the grid.

“I would like to see him back at the front,” Verstappen told CarNext. “He really deserves it, he’s a two-time world champion. It’s also really nice to talk to him and see how he thinks about situations.”

“He also [has] that ‘never give up’ [attitude] and is a real fighter. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to do that at the front in the last few years because he doesn’t have a car.

“But I like his attitude, he’s really on fire, [has] drive and motivation at his age to still be there in Formula 1, wanting to be there for a longer time. He always wants to win, he always wants to do the best. For me, it’s really nice to see.”

Also read: Max Verstappen takes a dig at Mercedes’ rear wing after Sergio Perez’s Christmas present

Fernando Alonso aims lengthy F1 spell

Alonso has already been declared to be part of Alpine’s lineup in 2022, along with Esteban Ocon. However, the Spaniard wishes to remain with them even after that.

He thinks that he can at least give three more seasons to F1 before considering leaving the sport. Currently, at the age of 40, he will be the oldest F1 driver on the grid in 2022, as Kimi Raikkonen has already retired from the sport after the Abu Dhabi GP.

It only remains to be seen how long Alonso remains at the helm.

Also read: Max Verstappen claims he needed a Mercedes W12 to wrap up the season much earlier