Max Verstappen is currently the benchmark in Formula 1. The Dutchman was recently voted ‘Driver of the Year’ by both his fellow drivers and the ten team principals. According to Alpine team boss Flavio Briatore, Verstappen belongs in a very exclusive list that also features Fernando Alonso in a prominent spot.
The influential Italian has worked with multiple world champions. He brought Michael Schumacher to Benetton in the early 1990s and was responsible for Fernando Alonso’s rise at Renault. Speaking to the Spanish AS, Briatore commented on the exceptional talent of Aston Martin’s Spaniard and drew a direct comparison with Verstappen.
“The young Fernando was a phenomenon, comparable to Senna and Schumacher, and later Verstappen,” Briatore said. “But the older Alonso is still very good.” According to Briatore, it is ‘inevitable’ that Alonso, now 44, no longer consistently performs at the same high level as Verstappen.
