Aston Martin Formula One racer Fernando Alonso has reportedly admitted that he lacks the speed to beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen has been at the top of his game for the past few years. The Dutchman secured the Formula One World Championship consecutively in 2021 and 2022. He is showing no signs of stopping in the current season either, as he has won 3 out of the 4 races so far, coming in 2nd in the Saudi Arabian GP.
Fernando Alonso made a brilliant return to the circuit as well. He has secured podium finishes in 3 out of the 4 races, coming 3rd in the Bahrain GP, the Saudi Arabian GP, and the Australian GP. The 41-year old will be looking to add the third World Championship title to his name, but given the Red Bull driver’s performances so far, it seems like a mammoth task.
Fernando Alonso thinks it’s not the right time yet to challenge Max Verstappen
When asked if he was excited to go head-to-head with Verstappen on the track, Alonso cautioned that the time for such a battle was still far off.
“I am looking forward because at the moment he is on the top of the game. He is driving better than everyone else, he has the fastest car, everything is perfect,” Alonso said to select media.
¡QUÉ GRANDE ES FERNANDO ALONSO!
Con un ojo en la pista y con otro en el retrovisor espiando si se le abre o no el DRS 😂#AzerbaiyanDAZNF1 🇦🇿 pic.twitter.com/wmuvoR91wW
— DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) April 28, 2023
“So to beat that perfection, you need something really special and you need to see some weak points from Max. At the moment, you don’t see it because he is in a comfortable position and he is extremely good so at the moment he seems unbreakable.”
“It is good to challenge those kinds of guys and see if there is any weakness in Max. That curiosity is growing because he is doing better and better every time. I would love to challenge him. At the moment, we are still missing a bit of speed there.”
With the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicking things off today, Fernando Alonso is sure to provide fierce competition to the Red Bull drivers. Whether he will be able to catch Max Verstappen remains to be seen, as the Dutchman has already steered clear of everyone in the practice runs.
