Fernando Alonso has once again ruffled the feathers of British fans. Following Max Verstappen‘s brilliant pole lap – which defied all expectations by outperforming both McLaren and Ferrari – Alonso drew a comparison with Lewis Hamilton. The British home hero may have claimed nine victories at Silverstone, but according to the Spaniard, Verstappen is undoubtedly the superior driver.
“Verstappen is simply the best,” Fernando Alonso grinned to the press in England. “If he has a car that is comparable to others, you can be sure that he will secure pole position.” Alonso couldn’t resist bringing Lewis Hamilton into his narrative, once again comparing the seven-time world champion with Verstappen. “Hamilton has won at Silverstone the most, but I believe that Verstappen is the better driver,” Alonso boldly concluded.
Long History
It’s hardly surprising that Alonso speaks about Hamilton in this way. In 2007, they were teammates at McLaren, but there was no good cooperation. The season was marked by disagreements and fierce rivalry. Since then, the tensions have somewhat subsided, although Alonso still seems to harbor resentment towards Hamilton. The fact that he makes such statements during the British Grand Prix – where Lewis Hamilton is still hailed as a national hero – certainly shows courage.
“With a pragmatic outlook, Fernando Alonso also scrutinized his own performance. The Spaniard qualified ninth at Silverstone. “We had our doubts already on Friday,” he explained. “During the third free practice, we even considered running only one car with the update package. You need two or three races to understand the effectiveness of the improvements – to properly adjust the heights and optimize the softness of the suspension. If the new package performs as well or even better than in the previous race, then it has potential.” As for the race on Sunday, Alonso expects to be able to compete for points again: “If it stays dry, we will probably finish in eighth, ninth, or tenth place. With rain, maybe fifth, but it could also easily be fifteenth. In any case, we have nothing to lose.”
