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Fernando Alonso claims Max Verstappen will only get better with Red Bull in the coming years. The Dutchman turned 25 on Friday and could clinch his second title in the sport if he outscores Charles Leclerc by 22 points or more this weekend in Singapore.
Max Verstappen will join Fernando Alonso as a two-time world champion should he win the 2022 F1 world championship. The Red Bull driver is a whopping 116-points clear of championship rival Charles Leclerc in P2, and is likely to wrap up the season in the next few races.
Alonso acknowledged the reigning world champion's driving prowess, claiming the Dutchman is already one of the all-time greats of the sport. He wished Max Verstappen good luck for the rest of his career, saying:
“He’s 24 or 25, no? So there’s still a lot in front of him, but I wish him more luck than me because I was also 26 with those stats and still have the same stats at 40! But I’m sure with Red Bull and how things look for the future, he will only get better."
Alonso added:
“It’s very well deserved. They were the best team and the best driver by far, so when they win it I don’t think is an important thing, it’s just that they will. Whether it’s here or Japan, let’s see.”
Helmut Marko is certain Max Verstappen will win the 2022 title
Helmut Marko feels it’s only a matter of time before Max Verstappen becomes the 2022 F1 world champion. The Dutchman will have the opportunity to clinch his second world title at the Singapore GP this weekend.
However, the Austrian scout hopes Verstappen wins his second trophy in Japan, rather than in Singapore. The former is the home country of Red Bull's engine partner, Honda. Winning the title in Suzuka would be enormous for the Austrian racing team as it would do wonders from a marketing point of view.
The team's talent scout, however, has no doubt that Verstappen will be the 2022 world champion. He told Austrian broadcaster ORF:
“From a marketing point of view, winning the title would be better in Japan, because of our engine partner Honda. But in general, we can assume that Max will be World Champion. It’s just a question of when.”
The Dutchman failed to impress in FP2 on Friday, putting him on the back foot for Saturday's qualifying and then the main race.
However, as we have learned in the past two seasons of the sport, it is too early to count Max Verstappen out of contention.
