Winning 2 world titles is often a testament enough to the mettle of an F1 driver. But in the case of Max Verstappen, one of those titles came in the cloud of some muddy controversies. Fernando Alonso knows the difference between a good driver and a lucky driver, and for him, Verstappen falls only in one of those groups.

Verstappen’s first title win came under a lot of scrutiny, given the circumstances that surrounded it. However, if there were any doubts, he cleared them with ample margins as he clinched his 2nd title in Japan with utmost domination and brilliant driving over the course of 18 races.

Fernando Alonso is another modern great of F1. The Spaniard won 2 titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006 and ranks 3rd among the list of most career points accumulated by drivers. Safe to say, he knows a great driver when he sees one.

In an interview with De Telegraaf, he had his take on the 2021 championship win. “This year Max is very dominant and at some point he was able to cruise to the world title. Last season it was different. I thought he outperformed Lewis in the end and I think he is a worthy champion.” [Translated using Google]

Alonso also spoke about Lewis Hamilton’s title wins, “I also have a lot of respect for Lewis. Still, it’s different when you win seven world titles, when you’ve only had to fight with your teammate. Then I think that a championship has less value than if you have fewer titles, but you have had to compete against other drivers with equivalent or even better equipment.”

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“In 2005 and 2006 I had a good start to the year and I was able to create a lead. Then others may have had a better car, but I was able to manage that gap.”

The Spaniard also sees some parallels between his 2 titles and Verstappen’s 2 titles. “I never had to fight with my teammate Giancarlo Fisichella to win the title. I haven’t seen Max fight Sergio Perez or Alex Albon to win races either. But Schumacher fought notably with his teammate Rubens Barrichello to become champions five times in a row and Hamilton with Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas. That’s different, I think.”

Hamilton and Alonso’s relationship at McLaren was among the most feisty in-team feuds. While he may not rate his ex-partner’s wins, Lewis’ prowess is hardly questionable.

Red Bull and Max Verstappen already planning for the 2023 title

As Verstappen wrapped up the WDC race in Japan and Red Bull brought home the WCC crown in Austin, neither the team nor the Dutchman is resting on their laurels.

Ahead of the Mexican GP, Verstappen said “It’s not about what’s left to prove, it’s more about learning more from the car, what we can apply to next year. Of course, we’ll try to win [the last three races], but that naturally comes if the car is in a good state, a good window, that’s what we always try to achieve.”

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“Luckily it was again good enough in Austin but here we have to work from zero because it’s a completely new car. That’s the same for everyone but I’m looking forward to it.”

Red Bull couldn’t manage a strong start to the season, dropping points early on in Bahrain and Australia. However, they managed to stage an equally quick turnaround, wrapping up the season with three races to go.

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With the cost cap penalty on their heads, the 2023 season will be a different challenge. But they aren’t a team to back out from a fight. They’ll be even more ruthless. 2023 should be a delight to watch!