Max Verstappen raised the benchmarks of dominance in 2023 with 19 Grand Prix wins. While the Dutchman was quite brilliant, a major part of his success was the dominant pace of the Red Bull RB19 as well. Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes that two other drivers, namely Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, would have also emulated what Verstappen did in the RB19.
In an exclusive with F1 Maximaal, Montoya said, “If Lewis Hamilton had driven that car (from 2023 and early 2024), he would have won every race. If you had put Fernando Alonso in that car, Fernando would also win every race, and so on.”
Marko diz que Lewis e Alonso fazem os jovens terem “vergonha de si mesmos”:
️ | “De certa forma, os jovens deveriam ter vergonha de si mesmos. Os dois grandes, que são os únicos que podem ‘irritar’ Max Verstappen, somam 80 anos: Alonso e Hamilton!” pic.twitter.com/rAVluSFSZp
— Mercedes-AMG F1 Brasil (@MercedesAMGF1BR) June 20, 2023
The former Williams driver believes that a good driver in the best car will go on to win the championship, as that driver can maximize the potential of the car underneath. He added, “There are quite a few guys who could do the same.”
However, the Colombian only named Hamilton and Alonso, who are arguably the two best drivers, besides Verstappen on the current grid. While Verstappen’s peers like Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, and George Russell have also shown their prowess, they have a long way to go to stake a claim at dethroning the Dutchman.
Precisely so, as Verstappen broke his own record for most wins in a single season — from 15 wins in 2022 to 19 wins in 2023. Moreover, he also scored the most points in a season in 2023 and led over 1,000 laps throughout the 22 races.
He was so dominant in 2023 that he knew repeating it this season would be next to impossible. While the 26-year-old started the 2024 season with two dominant wins, his campaign has been derailed a bit, with six other drivers winning races so far. Still, Verstappen is keeping his hopes of a fourth consecutive championship win alive.
Montoya praises Verstappen’s resilience in a tough season
Verstappen has been single-handedly leading Red Bull as they have faced troubles with the RB20. Due to this dip in performance, the three-time champion has not won a race for four race weekends in a row, for the first time since 2020.
Still, as he has managed to get the best result out of what he can extract from the car, Montoya feels he is doing a great job. The Colombian former driver stated, “He’s getting the most out of every situation, and that’s very important, but the car is part of the whole picture”.
Montoya knows what it takes to drive a sub-optimal car and fight for the championship. During his brief stint in F1 with Williams, whenever he got the chance to fight for the championship, Montoya never had an outright dominant car.
Thus, he had to make the best out of the available performance. While Montoya could not win an F1 championship, Verstappen already has the experience of his maiden triumph in 2021.
Despite having had the comfort of a dominant car for two seasons, the Dutchman knows his maiden championship came in an even closer fight three years ago. So, with a 78-point lead and his past winning experience, Verstappen can maximize his performance to retain the championship in 2024 as well.
