Alonso heaps praise on Verstappen: 'That deserves big respect'

"It's another season of breaking records," Gasly refers to Max Verstappen's 10 wins in a row and the string of victories set by Red Bull. "I think big congratulations to him and his team and the position that he is in. I think it's no surprise to anyone. He is very talented and I think the team with Red Bull are just performing at a very high level also the amount of mistakes they are making is just unmatched compared to any other team. So, yeah, you can just respect and appreciate the work and the results they are having but hopefully, that domination can come to an end sooner than later."

Alonso knows that Verstappen has the best car in the field, but that does not make the Dutchman's performance any less handsome, according to him. "Big congratulations. It's been an incredible season, breaking so many records and when you win so many races that were not easy races, sometimes they were tricky with weather conditions. In June and July, all the races were hit by rain on Saturdays or Sundays, and it was sometimes tricky. When you make no mistakes, and you deliver the job every Sunday, it deserves big respect."

Comparison with Schumacher

Alonso has experienced several generations in the top class of motorsport with Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel; all multiple world champions. Whether we can mention Verstappen in the same breath as these names in terms of wheel-to-wheel battles? "I've only been wheel-to-wheel with Michael," he said.

"But with Michael maybe, yes. We have to wait and see. I think the next few years will be even better for Max, to be honest. He’ll keep adding championships so we will compare to Michael even closer in the future," said Alonso, who thinks Verstappen will continue to be the dominant force in Formula 1 in 2024 and 2025.