Aston Martin driver and Formula 1 veteran Fernando Alonso has described his colleague Max Verstappen as a ‘brilliant’ driver, but also acknowledges that the Dutchman faces a fierce title fight this year. After being crowned world champion for four consecutive seasons, he will face serious competition from McLaren in 2025. According to Alonso, Verstappen – like top designer Adrian Newey – is capable of ‘extraordinary things’, but for now, McLaren is the favourite.
During the recent Monaco Grand Prix, Max Verstappen once again had to concede to both McLaren drivers. Lando Norris took the victory, while the Red Bull champion just missed out on the podium. The gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri is now 25 points. With victories in Japan and Imola, he is so far the only non-McLaren driver to have won a race this year. Depending on the circuit, his RB21 can be competitive, but often the MCL39 – which is much more economical with tyres – is a class above.
Don’t Underestimate Verstappen
Fernando Alonso, who has been a great admirer of Verstappen for years, compared him to the new Aston Martin designer Adrian Newey. The celebrated Briton joined from Red Bull this year. “You should never underestimate Verstappen,” Alonso told the Spanish Mundo Deportivo. “He is a brilliant driver. Someone like Adrian Newey is capable of achieving very special things, but so can Verstappen. He has already shown that this year – you can never rule him out for the title.”
“But yes, this is certainly his (Verstappen’s) toughest title fight so far,” Alonso admitted. “McLaren is probably the big favorite.” Verstappen is chasing Michael Schumacher’s record in 2025. The legendary German is the only driver who managed to win five consecutive world titles. He remained unbeaten between 2000 and 2004. Verstappen’s count is currently at four. In 2021, he beat Lewis Hamilton in the final race in Abu Dhabi. In the following years, he outsmarted Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s promising Lando Norris. The latter is now, along with Oscar Piastri, his biggest challenger.
