Alonso: 'Verstappen was the only one who could do something then'

Orange flood of Verstappen fans

Verstappen has been one of the most popular Formula 1 drivers for years, but certainly not only among Dutch fans. An orange tide of Verstappen fans has been popping up in the stands, and the number seems to be growing all the time. In the glory days of Alonso at Renault, there were similar scenes in blue with the Spaniard's fans.

On SoyMotor.com Alonso is asked how he feels about seeing all that orange next to the track. "It doesn't make me nostalgic or jealous. I mostly look at it with admiration. I enjoy seeing all those people so excited, in this case for Verstappen. I'm lucky to have experienced it myself and for years there was that blue tide for Renault and for me."

The TV on for Verstappen

That a driver brings such massive fans to their feet like Verstappen and Alonso, doesn't happen very often. Alonso knows why. "You need something extra. It's not just the wins, because in fact, Verstappen is not yet a world champion, but he can colour an entire circuit or get the crowd behind him. He creates a certain expectation. The charisma factor, or whatever you call it, I think is also important."

As an example of this, Alonso talks about last year, when he wasn't driving in Formula One. "When I wasn't driving myself, I actually turned on the TV to see what Max would do in that race. He was the only one then who could do something," Alonso refers to the battle between Verstappen and Mercedes. "You knew Bottas wouldn't upset Hamilton and you knew Hamilton would win if nothing strange happened, but there was Verstappen."