Back in 2005, a young Fernando Alonso became a world champion for the first time by ending Michael Schumacher’s championship-winning streak. Fast forward to 2021 when history repeated itself and Max Verstappen brought rain to the parade of Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton narrowly lost out on the championship as Verstappen secured his first-ever championship title. An expert drew comparisons between Verstappen and Alonso. However, a recent comparison between Alonso and Max Verstappen might be forecasting a bleak future for the Dutchman as well.

British journalist Tom Clarkson recently compared Alonso and Verstappen in a conversation with RacingNews365.nl as quoted by SoyMotor. The comparison is a compliment to any driver on the grid. However, the events following Alonso’s back-to-back championship again might be foreshadowing a bleak future for the Dutchman. Why? Because Alonso never lived up to the expectations and never won a championship again despite his multiple efforts.

“When I look at Max, I don’t see any weaknesses. I think he’s strong everywhere. He’s fast one lap. I think his driving in the races is really good. I think the way he takes care of his tires is brilliant. He can read a race excellently. The more I look at Max, the more he reminds me of Fernando Alonso,” he commented.

“Max is incredibly impressive and I think his mentality is very similar to Fernando Alonso’s. I’m not surprised if they praise each other, which they do often now because I think they see a bit of each other in themselves,” he added.

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The comparison is isolation is an innocent compliment to the Dutchman. However, Clarkson might’ve forecasted a miserable 2023 season for Verstappen. In fact, he even complimented his future challenger.

Not Lewis Hamilton, Tom Clarkson compliments the future rival of Max Verstappen

At the time of writing, many wouldn’t agree with this assessment. However, given the opportunity, Charles Leclerc is the only driver that comes to mind who can challenge Verstappen in the future. Whether that happens if he leaves Ferrari or the Scuderia drastically improves, their single-seater is up for debate. Tom Clarkson is also of the opinion as he thinks, over a single lap, only Leclerc can beat a faultless Verstappen.

Clarkson said, “Is he the fastest man on a lap? He’s brilliantly fast. He’s definitely in the top three on the grid. But is he the quickest? Put him and Charles Leclerc in the same car and maybe not.”

The British journalist did point out he would still back Verstappen in a race. However, if Leclerc can get himself in worthy machinery, Verstappen might not look as untouchable as he does currently.

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The superiority of the RB19 might not allow any driver to come close to Verstappen at the moment. However, Formula 1 is a fickle sport and we can never count any driver out.