Alonso knows how hard punching above own weight is: 'I hope Verstappen wins the title'

Fernando Alonso speaks from experience. The Spanish driver has previously raced in Formula 1 cars that weren't strong enough to fight for the championship, yet he still managed to stay competitive. Now, Alonso sees Max Verstappen doing the same at Red Bull Racing—extracting maximum performance from a car that may no longer be the class of the field.

Following a relatively quiet Japanese Grand Prix where the two-time world champion finished in 11th place, the Spaniard spoke at length about Max Verstappen—who claimed his first win of the season at Suzuka. Alonso said he could relate to Verstappen’s current situation, explaining that he, too, has been in a position where he had to outperform a car that wasn’t quite capable of winning on its own.

"I've been there. I've been fighting for world championships with the third, fourth fastest car so you know, in the end, it's difficult as it was difficult for me to beat Vettel. So I hope for him he can fight until the end but they need to improve the machine a little bit," Alonso stated.

The Spaniard finished three points behind eventual champion Vettel in 2012. The two had a seaosn long championship battle which enthralled viewers.

Alonso: 'People don't realise how difficult it is'

Alonso continued: "But yeah, it's hard and I think people don't realize how difficult it is and how you need to make it perfect every weekend. And he's doing it so far, and as I said it reminds me of my 2012, in a way when the car was not so good and we fought for the championship. Let's see, I hope for him he can win it," Alonso concluded in the paddock.

It's been a difficult start to the season for the Spaniard, who is yet to score a point in 2025. Alonso will hope to bounce back next week in Bahrain.

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