Having secured two World Championships in 2005 and 2006, Fernando Alonso once seemed unstoppable. Yet, his career victory tally has been stuck at 32 since May 2013, following a poignant win in Barcelona. After nearly winning the world title in 2013, the Spaniard struggled through years of uncompetitive cars at both McLaren and Ferrari, resulting in only three podium finishes over several seasons. It wasn't until the Qatar Grand Prix last year that he finally returned to the podium for the first time since July 2014.
A two-time World Champion, Fernando Alonso claimed a handful of points for winning additional titles in subsequent seasons after his successful races in 2005 and 2006. Alonso has been stuck on 32 career victories since May 2013 after securing an emotional win at Barcelona. After finishing second in the 2013 World Championship, the Spanish racing driver has only scored three podium finishes since, having driven uncompetitive Ferrari and McLaren cars. Alonso’s P3 finish at last year’s Qatar Grand Prix was his first since July 2014.
The 41-year-old Alpine veteran took a moment to commend Max Verstappen for his stellar performance this season. In Alonso's view, the partnership between Verstappen and Red Bull is a winning formula that will only continue to evolve. As Verstappen nears his second world title, Alonso used his own professional history to remind the younger driver that sustained dominance in F1 is incredibly difficult to maintain.
Drawing from his own experience—where his wins and podiums vanished almost overnight with the introduction of turbo hybrid engines—Alonso expressed hope that Verstappen would have better luck sustaining his success over the long term. He noted that both he and Verstappen have hit similar milestones at roughly the same age.
Alonso mentioned to reporters that at 24 or 25, Verstappen has a vast future ahead of him. The Spaniard admitted he wishes Verstappen more luck than he had, pointing out that he held similar statistics at age 26, yet remains on those same numbers now at 41. He is confident that, backed by Red Bull, the Dutch-Belgian driver is poised for even greater heights.
Depending on the outcome in Singapore this weekend, Verstappen could potentially clinch the title with five races still remaining. The 25-year-old is currently in peak form, having secured five consecutive victories. This dominance is partly due to Red Bull building a superior car compared to Ferrari, but Alonso believes it's the combination of Verstappen's skill and Red Bull's engineering brilliance that has left the rest of the grid behind.
Alonso highlighted the significance of this season, noting that the major regulatory changes make it a landmark year for this new generation of cars. While he acknowledged that Ferrari produced a very fast machine, he felt that Verstappen and Red Bull were simply in a league of their own. As the Singapore Grand Prix approaches this Sunday, Verstappen aims for his sixth win in a row, currently holding a massive 116-point lead over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.