The two-time Formula 1 world champion, Fernando Alonso, has called Max Verstappen one of the best drivers in the history of this sport.
Verstappen has emerged as a late contender for the title, along with the McLaren drivers, standing 63 points behind the leader, Oscar Piastri, with six races remaining in the season.
The drivers’ championship is at a moment of great tension heading into this weekend’s United States Grand Prix. Piastri leads his teammate, Lando Norris, by 22 points, and Verstappen, four-time world champion, is closing in after his recent consecutive victories in Monza and Baku.
In the Singapore Grand Prix, two weeks ago, rival drivers were asked about the possibility of Verstappen posing a threat. George Russell joked, saying “100%!”, while Norris confirmed that he is “genuinely a competitor”.
On Thursday, before the race in Austin, the drivers were asked in a press conference who they thought would win the title.
“He is a four-time world champion… he is one of the best drivers in the history of the sport.” Alonso added that Verstappen is capable of extracting the maximum from the car, and that he can win the championship and break records when the car is dominant. In addition, he highlighted that even when the car is not the best, Verstappen can achieve a good lap in qualifying and a good race.“It’s hard to guess… I’d say the two McLarens have the advantage just because of the points advantage,” Alonso commented. “I’d say it’s between the two of them. But Max is an incredible driver, and if there’s anyone who can overcome the car’s deficit, it’s him.”
Fernando Alonso
Haas rookie Oliver Bearman added: “I don’t know. But I think it will be fun to watch. I think it’s great what Max is doing at the moment, recovering some points. I hope the excitement lasts until the end for the three of them and that the best one wins.” Verstappen, for his part, downplayed his chances of winning a fifth world title this year, stating that it’s “50/50”. Alonso had previously praised the Dutch driver, calling his qualifying lap at this year’s Japanese Grand Prix “magical”. The Spanish driver added on Thursday: “I think the two McLarens have enough of an advantage in the car to fight each other [for the championship]. With Max, that can happen as we saw in 2021, when the car was a little less efficient than the Mercedes, he still won the championship in Abu Dhabi.”“He has a very good level, and this year he is fighting against a superior car, which is a McLaren, and if he reaches the last race and they are tied on points, maybe at that moment he will become the man to follow.”
Fernando Alonso
