Fernando Alonso unsure if he could lead the championship in RB19, asks rivals to accept SUPERIOR Max Verstappen’s wins with ‘humility’

Fernando Alonso insists that Max Verstappen is racing on a different league than his rivals in 2023.

Fernando Alonso unsure if he could lead the championship in RB19, asks rivals to accept SUPERIOR Max Verstappen’s wins with ‘humility’

Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen (image via IMAGO)

Max Verstappen has continued to dominate Formula 1 since 2022. The Dutch driver has broken several records during this period. The latest one is the record for the longest winning streak in F1, as the 25-year-old won his tenth race in a row at Monza. Now, Fernando Alonso has praised the reigning world champion’s incredible success this year.

The Aston Martin driver admitted he was unsure of leading the standings if he was racing at Red Bull this season. The 43-year-old was convinced that Max Verstappen was simply in a league of his own this season. So much so that Alonso reckoned that the rest of the grid was inferior to the Dutch driver. Subsequently, the Spanish driver urged rivals to see the Verstappen’s wins with humility.

Alonso said, as reported by SoyMotor, “I don’t know if I would go World Cup leader with a Red Bull, I don’t stop to think about it either. What I am clear about is that Verstappen is doing a job superior to the rest, you have to accept it and see it with humility.” The 43-year-old mentioned that a major factor in Max Verstappen’s winning streak was the lack of mistakes throughout the year.

Discover: Who has the most Dutch GP wins?

Fernando Alonso praises Max Verstappen-Red Bull duo

Christian Horner and Max Verstappen (image via PlanetF1)
Christian Horner and Max Verstappen (image via PlanetF1)

The former world champion believed Verstappen’s ten-race streak did not come easily. Fernando Alonso highlighted that there have been races with prolonged safety car periods, red flags, and wet weather conditions. Yet, Max Verstappen and Red Bull have overcome every obstacle and continued to dominate the sport in what is a formidable pairing.

The 43-year-old explained, “He has ten victories in a row and they have not been easy. It wasn’t ten races to get out first, get away, and win the race. There have been rain races, stops, red flags, interruptions and it has never failed. The Red Bull is a good car, but the Verstappen-Red Bull junction is the one that makes the difference.” As such, Alonso respected Verstappen’s success this season.

Thus, Fernando Alonso believes that Max Verstappen is racing in a whole different league compared to his rivals in 2023. The Dutch driver has been regarded as unstoppable this season as he took his tenth consecutive race victory in Italy. Although, Alonso would be waiting for Aston Martin to close the gap to Red Bull and try to claim his first win since 2013.

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