Alonso Questions Rivals' Mental Approach to Verstappen

Alonso Critiques Verstappen’s Rivals Mental Strength

28/11/2024

Fernando Alonso challenges Max Verstappen’s rivals, claiming it takes exceptional mental strength to compete for a title, which he believes they lack.

Fernando Alonso stated that Max Verstappen’s title rivals had failed to “intimidate” him, as he hopes to battle the Red Bull driver for the Formula 1 title in 2026.

Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive championship, joining an exclusive list of drivers with four or more titles, becoming the sixth driver to achieve this feat.

His championship win this year has been hailed by many as his most impressive and hard-earned due to the decline in Red Bull’s competitiveness during the season.

However, Alonso questioned the mindset of the other title contenders, particularly Lando Norris, reading between the lines.

“Everyone who has fought Max for the championships so far hasn’t really managed to intimidate him much. It takes great mental strength to fight for a title, and his rivals haven’t had enough of that.”

“I hope it will be my turn one day, and I can change this story. Congratulations to Max. I hope to be there fighting him in 2026 with a good F1 (when the regulations change, ed.).”

“But, of course, huge, huge congratulations to Max. This time, he must feel something very special, I imagine, because the car may not be as dominant as last year.”

“He delivered an incredible performance this year to put the car in a position that might not have seemed realistic. And the best example is Brazil. So yes, all of this is down to him this year, and he has been the best.”

“There are always things to learn from a driver like him in performances like this year.”

Alonso Questions Rivals’ Mental Approach to Verstappen Alonso Questions Rivals’ Mental Approach to Verstappen

Race Center
China Flag
Chinese GP
21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
Free Practice 1
21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
Sprint Qual
21 MAR 07:30 - 08:14
Sprint Race
22 MAR 03:00 - 04:00
Qualifying
22 MAR 07:00 - 08:00
Race
23 MAR 07:00 - 09:00

2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
Go toTop