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Fernando Alonso has shared a somber prediction for 2024, opining that Max Verstappen and Red Bull are going to execute a repeat of last season. The 2023 F1 season was one of the most one-sided seasons in history, with the Austrian team ending up winning all but one race.
Verstappen himself won a record 19 races during the 2023 season, making it the most prolific year by an F1 driver. For 2024, many teams were expected to follow Red Bull's car concept and in turn close the gap to the front, While every team including Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin did commit to that, the Austrian team has come up with a revolution of a car.
The first couple of days of testing have shown that the gap to Max Verstappen's Red Bull has not been closed much, if any, by the opposition. Talking to the media including Sportskeeda, Fernando Alonso painted a somber picture for 2024 as he felt no other team had much of a chance. He said:
“I think Max is the world champion and Red Bull is dominating the sport. Also, the concept that they presented this year, it's also a surprise. At the moment, we just have to watch them and see how they perform. I think 19 drivers in the paddock now will think that [they] will not win the championship. It happens 99% of the time in your career. This is a brutal sport.”
The Spaniard added:
"I think it's difficult to tell now [if we have a race winning car]. I would say, I think after seeing Max and the Red Bull car this year, there are less chances for everybody to win a race this year. But this is how it is.”
Fernando Alonso feels his performance level alone can't placate a Max Verstappen dominant run
Fernando Alonso was questioned about how he felt physically ahead of a 24-race season, especially since the driver is in his 40s. The Spaniard dismissed the thought of his fitness making much of a difference in this scenario, as the opposition was just too far ahead. Citing 2015, when Lewis Hamilton was dominating the sport with Mercedes, the Spaniard said:
"I was super fit, happy and motivated in [2015] and I scored 11 points [finishing 17th in the championship]. So, this sport is not always what you feel or what you do.”
The Spaniard will be hoping that his team can make drastic improvements to their challenger to make the 2024 season more competetive.
