Ralf Schumacher snubs Sergio Perez, claims Fernando Alonso will be Max Verstappen’s biggest threat at Austrian GP

Sergio Perez has failed to secure a podium in the last three races, while Max Verstappen dominated the races.

Ralf Schumacher snubs Sergio Perez, claims Fernando Alonso will be Max Verstappen’s biggest threat at Austrian GP

Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen (credits: SI, The Mirror and Essentially Sports)

Two-time world champion Max Verstappen has been in a league of his own in 2023, as he has dominated the proceedings, winning six of eight races. He has also not finished below P2 in the remaining, demonstrating just how consistent he has been. Sergio Perez posed a strong challenge to the Dutchman initially but has since been dismal, succumbing to the likes of Fernando Alonso.

F1 pundit Ralf Schumacher has revealed, in an interview with Sky Sports, who he believes to be Verstappen’s biggest threat at Austria. It is none other than Fernando Alonso, who has been brilliant this year and has secured podiums in six of eight races this year. Sergio Perez’s poor run has prompted Schumacher to pick his Spanish competitor as a bigger challenge to Verstappen.

YouTube video

Ralf Schumacher said, “I am sure we can expect much more from the green cars. I see Aston Martin currently have an edge over Mercedes with these improvements, and I think Alonso is the biggest competitor of Max Verstappen will be on the next race on the Red Bull Ring.”

FS Video

Sergio Perez‘s bad run since the Monaco GP has seen Verstappen increase his lead to 69 points at the top, and the gap to Fernando Alonso drops significantly. The gap between Alonso and Verstappen was just 9 seconds in Canada, which could prompt the Spaniard to pose the Dutchman a formidable challenge around the Red Bull Ring.

Related: Mike Krack claims Aston Martin can overthrow Red Bull’s dominance on traditional European tracks

Fernando Alonso doesn’t consider the sprint weekend in Austria to be ‘ideal’

Fernando Alonso(Credits: The Independent)
Fernando Alonso(Credits: The Independent)

Fernando Alonso has raised concerns about the upcoming race in Austria adopting a sprint format. The upgrades introduced provided good results on track for the Spaniard, as he finished P2. However, Alonso believes they have not yet learned enough about the new upgrade package.

During the drivers’ press conference following the Canadian GP, Fernando Alonso expressed his concerns about the Austrian GP sprint, stating that it would not be advantageous for his team due to the absence of all three practice sessions. He explained that the limited practice time would hinder their ability to thoroughly analyze and understand the new components they introduced in Canada.

He said, “Yeah, Austria, yeah, let’s see. I think the sprint weekend will not be ideal for us. We still have more time maybe of free practice with our new upgraded car. We still need to understand and optimise the package a little bit and in Austria, obviously with the sprint, we will have only FP1 to do that. But yeah, it is what it is.“

Fernando Alonso pushed for the race win in Canada and will again do so in Austria. He will undoubtedly try his best to make life difficult for Verstappen, who has been cruising to the top. The upcoming race could see him snatch P2 in the driver standings from Sergio Perez should both continue their current form.

In case you missed it: