Fernando Alonso: “Verstappen is good at everything... but not as good as me!”

A windy day at Zandvoort, the end of summer for Formula 1 in every sense. Alonso has fond memories of this circuit, having finished second in 2024 and having provided a number of memorable overtaking moves on its banked section at Turn 3. “I overtook two cars on the outside (in 2022), and last year one and a half on the inside.

Although it’s becoming more difficult because people study what happens in the first corners and you also need confidence to try different lines. We will see what is possible this year,” jokes the Spaniard, who is ninth in the World Championship standings with 49 points to Lance Stroll’s 24 - his teammate who sits 10th.

Alonso reflects on the season

The duel between teammates is coming to the fore, especially when the usual mid-season analyses sometimes suggest that Alonso’s season has been poor. “There are ups and downs, I’m not super happy with my season, although I’m much happier than people think,” he offers. “I don’t know what people expect when the car is in the middle zone and I still have good points. Lance is having a great season, but he had specific problems last year that he has already fixed and in one of my worst seasons, (according to what I read in the news), I have double the amount of points...

“I don’t know how many drivers double the points of their teammate. We are close, less than half a tenth, I am not completely comfortable with the car and that makes me slower in some races.”

Alonso maps Aston Martin’s objectives for 2024

So what is the objective for the rest of the season? Alonso tells AS: “Ninth and tenth in every race, that’s what we’re fighting for. The top four teams are between 30 and 40 seconds ahead of us in every race, so we need a retirement from the front to get into the top-8. And it’s not easy to secure ninth and tenth place either, we haven’t done it in the last few races.

“Q3 and points are the objective for every weekend,” he adds. “But behind us we have a lot of tests and ideas that we want to try out to prepare for next year and that will be my biggest motivation for the next ten races. To have a good understanding of the questions about the car and finish the season with a clearer idea to start the year on the right track.”

In Verstappen’s house, there are also some bold statements by Nascar driver Kyle Larson, who comes to justify that he would beat Max “in any category except F1.”

Alonso intervenes: “Max is quite good in GT too... I think he’s good at everything. Although not as good as me! (laughs) . You have to adapt very quickly to different disciplines. Oval racing is an independent thing that requires its own technique and skills. And in the Dakar you step on the accelerator and the brake at the same time for six hours to master the car.”

Between jokes, does the truth emerge? Although the Asturian, two-time F1 champion, karting and endurance champion, qualifies: “I am referring to multiple disciplines. In F1 I accept that we are at the same level (laughs) .”