In 2023, the podium celebrations have always had one constant: Max Verstappen and his P1 trophy! That being said, tangible evidence of his robotic supremacy this season was actually threatened earlier this season. At the 2023 Hungarian GP, Lando Norris made it to the podium consecutively for the very first time in his F1 career. Naturally, he was on to his usual ‘champagne popping’ shenanigans without wasting a single breath. However, that came at a heavy cost for the Dutch lion. But Fernando Alonso learned a valuable lesson that day.

Norris actually broke Verstappen’s $40,000 (approx.) worth porcelain trophy. While the trophy has now been rebuilt and is on its way to its rightful owner, as Alonso climbed onto the rostrum today, he was very cautious with how he behaved around Verstappen’s prized possession.

Fernando Alonso tiptoes around Verstappen’s crown

With his 9th consecutive win this season, Verstappen has equaled Sebastian Vettel‘s iconic record. What’s more? He did so on his home turf with a multitude of Dutch fans cheering and applauding him on the way. Safe to say, whilst Alonso was intrigued with the latest design on the trophies, he didn’t want to repeat Norris’ mistake, much less when the Orange Army was swarming him!

A picture of Alonso on the podium went viral quickly after the podium rituals were concluded. In the screen grab, the Spanish racing legend can be seen carefully planting just a single finger on Verstappen’s P1 trophy as he admired the piece of art the Dutch lion was awarded after driving a masterful race.

But was it just a case of admiring the craftsmanship of the trophy or is Alonso trying to get a teaser of what is to come for him later in the season?

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Shadowing Max Verstappen, Alonso makes a bold prediction

For the majority of the race, Alonso was just following the Bulls. However, during the late restart, the 2x champion was actually within touching distance of his 33rd F1 win, and his first since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix. Alas, that didn’t materialize as Verstappen scooted away.

During the post-race radio callout, however, Alonso made a bold prediction and a chilling promise to his team. After the niceties and congratulations were out of the way, Alonso said, “We will win one race soon. We are getting closer.” 

Can Fernando Alonso really get that 33rd victory under his belt in 2023?

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