Verstappen vs Alonso in same car: "Max is the ultimate racing driver"
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In a video on his YouTube channel, Peter Windsor was asked about a comparison between Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso, who are both two-time world champions. Both drivers are not currently driving equivalent cars, but should they be, Windsor thinks Max Verstappen will be at the finish line earlier than the current Aston Martin driver on Sunday.
Alonso on Sunday
"We all have this correct image of Fernando being a fabulous racing driver on the day. In other words, he raises his game on a Sunday, and whatever the drive he's got in front of him, he puts it in, doesn't he? And it happens around him," Windsor enthuses. "And he always looks on top of the car, and everything's homogenous. But is he the greatest overtaker, the greatest eyeball-to-eyeball racer? There is a difference. He's a very good Sunday performer, a great Sunday racing driver."
The 71-year-old Briton doubts the latter. "He gets the car home regardless of its condition. He's very, very consistent, very able to leave 10%, 20% of his brain capacity to think about strategy and tyre conditions, everything else. Brilliant like that. But in terms of actually racing, you have to come back to the Maldonado and Alonso thing in Barcelona."
By that, Windsor means that he was surprised that Alonso did not cross the line first at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, in his home race, that is. Alonso was driving for Ferrari at the time but was no match for Pastor Maldonado in a Williams-Renault. It was also the only time Maldonado won a GP in Formula 1.
Verstappen the better racer
"I can't see, eyeball-to-eyeball, in equal cars, I can't see him outracing Max Verstappen. Sorry. I just can't see it. I think Max is the ultimate racing driver, as well as the ultimate short-corner driver at the moment. And I think he would have Fernando," Windsor said.