F1 champion targets Verstappen downfall

Fernando Alonso has maintained his faith in being able to make things “more difficult” for Max Verstappen if he were in championship-level machinery at Aston Martin.

The Spaniard highlighted the 27-year-old’s lack of “weak points”, emphasising his ability to consistently score points regardless of the car underneath him.

Red Bull was unable to provide Verstappen with a consistent package throughout the 2024 F1 season, with the RB20 oftentimes unbalanced and sensitive to kerbs and bumpy track surfaces.

However, Verstappen was ruthlessly consistent himself, something Alonso believes was the lynchpin to his fourth championship.

Despite the difficulties faced, the Dutchman did not finish lower than sixth place all season. In stark contrast, team-mate Sergio Perez did not finish higher than sixth from the Miami Grand Prix onwards.

“Max has proven [to] not having weak points,” Alonso told media including RacingNews365. “He has been always delivering the job on Sundays and scoring so many points when the car was good, but so many points when the car was not good as well.

“And that’s the strength [you need] to win a championship, [but] you always think that if you have a chance, maybe things could be more difficult for him.”

Alonso and Aston Martin endured a frustrating 2024 season. Having started the year vying with Mercedes to be the fourth-quickest team, it slipped into the midfield whilst its power unit supplier went on to claim four victories.

The two-time drivers’ champion ended up scoring 70 points, a far cry from the 206 of the previous campaign, when he strung together a series of podium finishes to kick-off the year.

Now, the Silverstone squad is looking towards 2026 for refreshed opportunity. Adrian Newey and Honda will usher in a new era for the team whilst F1 kicks off the next regulations cycle. For Alonso, it might be a last chance to add to his career achievements.

“That will be a very nice thing to try, to be in a position to fight for the world championship,” the 43-year-old said.

“At the moment, we are not in that position, and next year probably is going to be difficult. But hopefully in ‘26, with the new rules, we’ll have a better chance to try at least.”