"Not the good guy": Why Alonso sees parallels with himself in Verstappen

Fernando Alonso enjoyed an immensely successful first act in his Formula 1 career, although it is widely considered that his talent commanded more than the two titles that he accrued in 2005 and 2006. That said, perhaps the chase of a third title has offered his career a smidgen more longevity...

In the opening six-to-seven years of his career, Alonso was often brilliant, decisive, and yet occasionally controversial. Each of those adjectives could also be lent to Max Verstappen when describing the Dutchman's tenure in F1.

Speaking in Las Vegas, Alonso noted multiple similarities with himself and Verstappen when asked about their mutual respect for each other. There are plenty of parallels in their early careers: short junior racing careers before entering F1 at a precocious age (Alonso at 19 in 2001, Verstappen at 17) with Minardi/Toro Rosso, preceding swift promotions to a team on the cusp of regular race wins.

Both drivers have also been characterised by their aggressive driving styles, while simultaneously displaying great awareness of circumstances around them in the race. A cliche oft-attributed to Alonso is that he can almost drive the cars around him, something that Verstappen shows signs of in some regard; in the event that the Dutchman is unable to qualify well, he has demonstrated an ability to work to a contra-strategy that exploits the weak points of those ahead of him.

Alonso thinks that their overall perception in the media has also been similar. Verstappen is less inclined to play the game and courts more criticism through his straight-talking nature, while Alonso occasionally enjoys basking in the role of pantomime villain.

"I think [we're] coming from countries that they are not really into F1 so much," Alonso explained. "Especially Spain, I would say, because Jos [Verstappen] was already a master. In fact, I raced with Jos a couple of years and with Max eight.

Alonso was 19 when he made his F1 debut with Minardi

Photo by: Sutton Images

"It is a tough environment. And when you come here and you have some success at the beginning of your career, and maybe you are not the good guy, if I can say [that]. And maybe you are not politically correct.

"You are not in the system. You are more yourself than what you should be. And I think it's what I saw in Max as well.

"A part of that strong personality, the results and the talent, not only in F1, also in the junior categories and from karting already that we all knew that it was this kid coming. In my case, I had always a lot of respect [for Verstappen]."

One could suggest that Verstappen has enjoyed the title success that Alonso perhaps should have had. Beyond their maiden years, their career paths have varied significantly; Verstappen has spent his decade in F1 glued to the Red Bull ecosystem, while Alonso spent his first 10 years hopping around from Renault, to McLaren, to Renault again, before joining Ferrari.

Furthermore, Alonso never truly got the chance to jump into a dominant car across his time in F1; both title wins with Renault were achieved on the back of thrilling year-long scraps with Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher respectively. Alonso came close to two titles with Ferrari, but both ended in agonising defeat to Sebastian Vettel in the superior Red Bull machinery.

Verstappen conceded that, as a Red Bull driver today, it was perhaps "funny" that Alonso's underdog status had led him to cheer for the then-Ferrari driver in the 2010s versus Vettel.

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

"What I like is that Fernando's mentality and just general personality is just himself, which I think is just very nice to deal with. You see what you get," Verstappen responded.

"Before I was in Formula 1 - it might sound a bit funny, but when Fernando was fighting against Red Bull, I was cheering for him to do a good job: being that underdog and still getting these results and dragging the car to wins when he shouldn't.

"It attracts you as a driver, you like what you see is a proper fighter. And he still is. I mean, I have a lot of respect for what Fernando is still doing at his age.

"It's very nice to see [someone] have that much passion for the sport."