Fernando Alonso defends Max Verstappen, blaming Red Bull’s poor F1 car for 2025 title struggle against dominant McLaren and Piastri.
If Max Verstappen doesn’t secure a fifth consecutive world title this year, it won’t be his fault.
That’s the view of Fernando Alonso, who, despite a 16-year age gap, clearly gets along well with the Dutchman.
The 43-year-old two-time world champion also admires his rival.
“He always delivers his best season to date, every year,” the Spaniard shared.
“Last year, he didn’t have the most dominant car, yet he still won the championship with two or three races to spare. This year, he doesn’t even have the second or third best car, and he’s still fighting.”
“He is still performing at the highest level, but it’s now up to Red Bull to give him a car that allows him to fight for the championship.”
“But you can never doubt Max.”
Indeed, McLaren is clearly dominating in 2025, with Verstappen currently third in the drivers’ championship, nearly 50 points behind leader Oscar Piastri.
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher is pessimistic about the quadruple world champion’s chances.
“I think the title is out of reach for Max this year. It’s nothing more than an illusion.”
“Max can make a difference, but not always, and the car isn’t delivering, and unfortunately the team isn’t either. Max can’t make up such a gap over the long term.”
“He will have no chance against McLaren, unless the two McLaren drivers get in each other’s way.”
Schumacher believes that after dominating in Barcelona, McLaren is clearly the favorite for this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.
“I’d almost say they can only fight each other. Verstappen will get a bit closer because it’s a less demanding circuit for tyres. We know that the Red Bull is slightly harder on its tyres than the McLaren, but that doesn’t mean McLaren won’t still be the best.”
“It could be better for Max in any case. Ferrari is quite hard to assess. It’s a unique circuit.”
“You can never forget the unpredictable weather. We’ve seen it time and again. The only certain thing is that McLaren, the all-rounder, will be strong.”
