F1 News
Alonso wants title battle with Verstappen: 'Need some more DNFs from Red Bull'
Max Verstappen struck a major blow in the standings for the 2023 Formula 1 championship with his victory at the Monaco Grand Prix. However, Fernando Alonso is approaching Sergio Perez to within 12 points and sees Aston Martin closing in on the Red Bulls. He is, therefore, not giving up easily in the battle for the world title.
Alonso has been very consistent in his results so far, finishing on the podium at every Grand Prix so far apart from P4 in Baku. The Spaniard was also able to record his best result of the season so far with a second place in Monaco. The gap to Verstappen is 51 points, but Perez is a lot closer after scoring zero points.
Alonso assesses chances against Red Bull
Looking back at seasons in the past, Alonso analyses how he would have fared then with his results now. "I think in any of the seasons that I remember, back in the 2000s or early 2010s, I would be leading the championship with the results that I got this year," the 41-year-old Spaniard stated at the press conference.
"But now Red Bull and Max are dominating every race. Even with great results, you are just stepping behind them every race. So I don't know. We didn't have the best car in 2010, and we arrived leading the championship in Abu Dhabi," he adds about his chances of gaining ground against Red Bull Racing over the course of the season.
He continued: "We didn't have the best car in '12, and we still fight for the championship until the last lap in Brazil. So the championship is long, we will not give up." However, Alonso remains realistic about his chances. "We will need weekends where Red Bull has some issues like Sergio had here with the DNF or zero points."
Alonso realistic about possible battle with Verstappen
Alonso knows it will take more to have a real chance of winning the title, but he is not willing to give up those hopes just yet. "If Max has one or two of those [DNFs], we will be a little bit closer in the championship. This is motorsport. Anything can happen. But on pure pace, I think we don't have the chance yet. But we will not give up for sure," said the two-time world champion.