Alonso: Verstappen achievement ‘underestimated’

Fernando Alonso feels the current dominant achievements of Max Verstappen are ‘sometimes underestimated’.

Verstappen equalled Sebastian Vettel’s record for consecutive victories by an F1 driver when he scored his ninth in succession in taking the chequered flag in his home Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday.

Whilst Verstappen is naturally driving a car without parallel in F1 as it has currently won all 12 races this season, Alonso believes Verstappen’s feat needs to be put into context.

There is no doubt Verstappen is rated as one of the best drivers of the modern era, and fellow two-time champion Alonso believes his ability, in tandem with his Red Bull RB19, has propelled him to a point where he could set a new outright record in Sunday’s Italian GP.

“It is underestimated sometimes what Max is achieving,” remarked Alonso, who was runner-up at Zandvoort as he rediscovered a degree of form and feeling with his Aston Martin that had been missing for a few races.

“To win in such a dominant manner in any professional sport, it is so complicated.

“Obviously, drivers in general, we have a lot of self-confidence, so I do believe I can do good as well.

“But you need to enter in a mood, in a state, where you are connected with a car.

“Days like (the Dutch GP), I felt that I was at my best and gave 100 percent of what I felt, and my abilities, in a racing car, but maybe in Spa (Belgian GP) I was not at that level, or in Austria, or something like that.

“So you always feel there is room to improve, and you are not 100% happy with yourself.

“I think Max is achieving that 100 percent more often than any of the drivers, so that’s why he’s dominating.”

Verstappen feels the turning point of his season arrived across the Azerbaijan GP weekend, the last occasion he failed to win a race, and from which team-mate Sergio Perez emerged with just a six-point deficit after his triumph.

Nine consecutive Verstappen wins later, Perez now trails by 138 points.

Reflecting on when the season swung considerably in his favour, Verstappen said: “I learned a lot from the race in Baku, how to do some things with the car, how to set it up.

“Of course, I didn’t win that race in Baku, but I really tried a lot of stuff, different tools in the car. That’s why throughout the race it was a little bit inconsistent.

“At one point, I got into a good rhythm with what I found, but then I damaged my tyres a bit too much.

“I was like ‘Okay, that’s quite interesting for the next races’, and I basically implemented that and it has helped me on every track.”