Verstappen in a Verbal Spat with Alonso

He is also no stranger to courting controversy either. From calling the stewards “idiots” in the USA to taking down the media, Verstappen has become eager to hit back at F1. This time, Fernando Alonso was the latest victim of the young man’s ire. After winning his fourth race in Austria, the 20-year-old took a shot at the two-time Formula One champion.

Alonso’s F1 career has hit the doldrums as McLaren struggles to stay competitive. With a five-year win drought haunting him, the Spaniard was victorious elsewhere. Namely, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours race with Toyota in June.

“I think that (racing outside of F1) mainly happens with drivers who are not winning,” Verstappen said.

“At the end of the day being unable to win isn’t nice and winning gives you the motivation to keep going.

“Fernando has not been in the position to win for the last few years, and that probably makes you want to try different things — he went and won Le Mans, which must be an amazing feeling, and good for him.”

With Mercedes and Ferrari duking it out for the championship, wins are scarce for Red Bull. For Verstappen, the dominance of the top two teams is what sets apart the grid.

He endured a frustrating day in practice, stopping with a gearbox problem in the first session. He later crashed early in the second practice session. The Dutchman tried to correct himself after losing control of the rear of his car coming out of a corner. But the RB14 snapped back the other way and crash into the barriers.