Fernando Alonso says Max Verstappen’s title rivals failed to “intimidate him” as he hopes to battle the Red Bull driver for the Formula 1 title in 2026.
Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship. The Dutchman joined an exclusive list of champions with four or more titles, as he became the sixth driver to do so.
His victory in this year’s championship was hailed by many as Verstappen’s most impressive and hard-earned success due to Red Bull’s declining competitiveness over the course of the season.
However, Alonso questioned the mentality of other title contenders, namely Lando Norris by reading between the lines.
“Everyone who has fought Max for championships so far hasn’t been able to intimidate him much. It takes a lot of mental strength to compete for a title and his opponents haven’t had enough of that.”
“I hope it will be my turn one day and that I can change this story. Congratulations to Max. I hope to be there facing him in 2026 with a good F1 (when the regulations change, editor’s note).”
“But, obviously, big, big congratulations to Max. This time it must feel something very special for him, I imagine, because the car is maybe not as dominant as last year. “
“He did an incredible performance this year to put the car in a position that maybe wasn’t realistic. And the best example is Brazil. So yeah, it’s all his doing this year and he was the best.”
“There are always things to learn from a driver like him in this kind of performance this year.”
Belgium
