MAX VERSTAPPEN SHOWS TRUE COLOURS WITH COMMENTS ON FERNANDO ALONSO RESURGENCE IN AUSTRALIA
Max Verstappen has backed Fernando Alonso to end his long run in Formula 1 without a race win this season after watching the Aston Martin emerge as a potential title rival in the opening two races of the season. Red Bull are widely expected to run away with both the Drivers' and Constructors' titles this season due to their superior car, but Alonso could prove to be their closest challenger after claiming two podiums already.
The 41-year-old has silenced the critics who claimed he should not have returned to the sport in 2021 after three years away, making his comeback with Alpine before announcing a shock move to Aston Martin to replace Sebastian Vettel in the summer break last season.
And it appears Alonso was ahead of the curve, with the British team vastly improving their pace for 2023 and they sit second in the standings after an impressive display in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. There are even hopes that the former McLaren and Ferrari driver can compete for race wins this season, something he has not achieved since 2013 at his home race, the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.
Indeed, it appears Verstappen - whose father Jos raced alongside Alonso in the Spaniard's early years in the sport - is an advocate for the veteran to end his long wait for a 33rd career victory, even if it is at his own expense: "I think Fernando should have won anyway already a lot more races than what he has done," Verstappen said.
"I think he deserves a lot more. I would be quite happy to see him win number 33. But I also, in a way, also I would like to see him win more. So we'll see in the coming races."
While Alonso and Lewis Hamilton have enough history to write a book about their rivalry, he and Verstappen have enjoyed a friendly relationship away from the track - and the evergreen racer joked he would take Verstappen's favourite number if he wins the championship for a third time this year. Those light-hearted quips have proved to be useful in examining how Verstappen is viewed inside the paddock.
While he has been involved with skirmishes with some drivers over the years - Hamilton, Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo the obvious names - he remains a popular figure and is well-liked by his fellow racers, despite his no-nonsense attitude on the track.
Verstappen is, of course, not the only fellow sportsman to climb aboard the Alonso bandwagon. He has also attracted support from world no 1 tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, who scribbled the number 33 after celebrating a win himself at the Miami Open.
And Alonso admits he was taken aback by how motorsport is on the rise again in his native land.
"It's crazy to see how Spain is now so enthusiastic again for Formula 1 and for everything that is happening," the Aston Martin star said. "So this is very nice to see and hopefully I think they did enjoy these first two podiums the whole country."
"This 33, I don't know, all these things that are happening now in social media, it was 'El Plan' three years ago and then the mission and now '33' so there are a lot of 33s," he added. "All the football clubs or footballers or tennis or whatever they are always doing something with 33. So hopefully we can reach that number in terms of wins and then we go for 34."
Verstappen has his own objectives to chase at Melbourne Park for the Australian Grand Prix, with a third consecutive championship on the line, and he leads his team-mate Sergio Perez by a point after the first two races.
But it is clear he would not begrudge Alonso stepping up to the top of the podium this year - and that concession gives F1 fans another rare insight into the Dutchman's soft side that is almost never seen on race days.