Fernando Alonso believes Max Verstappen “has the talent” to win seven Formula 1 championships.
The Dutchman claimed his second consecutive Drivers’ title in 2022 after producing the most dominant season in almost a decade, winning a record-breaking 15 of 22 races.
Verstappen also tied Alonso’s career tally of two titles and 32 wins upon clinching the championship in Japan, adding three more victories to his name since.
And the Spaniard is confident there is plenty more success to come for the Red Bull driver, though did warn it shouldn’t be taken for granted.
“He’s 24 or 25, no? So there’s still a lot in front of him, but I wish him more luck than me because I was also 26 with those stats and still have the same stats at 40!” he said.
“But I’m sure with Red Bull and how things look for the future, he will only get better. It’s very well deserved. They were the best team and the best driver by far
“When you win a championship [with] four races to the end, it means that you did something exceptional. Congratulations and welcome to the [double world champion] club!”
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After such a strong year in 2022, many are wondering if F1 is about to embark on yet another period of domination, this time led by Verstappen and Red Bull.
But Alonso was realistic about whether Max could become one of the most successful drivers of all time.
“It will be difficult for him to reach the seven titles of Lewis [Hamilton] and Michael Schumacher,” he told De Telegraaf.
“Certainly Max has the talent to get there, but you have to have a car that is very competitive for many years and you never have that guarantee.
“Now, it’s easy. Everything points to Red Bull dominating in the next few years, but we don’t know for sure. Let’s see if Max is that lucky.”
In response, Verstappen agreed, noting how Alonso’s career could have turned out very differently.
“In F1, you need a bit of luck, and you need to have the luck that you make the right decision and then have a dominant car for a long time,” he explained.
“Because I mean, if you put Fernando in the cars where other people have won championships, he would have done the same. But that’s not how F1 works.
“At the end of the day, he still won two titles so I think he’s done very well for himself. And he’s also a great guy and a great personality for F1.”