Glock: 'Alonso can really become a big opponent for Verstappen'

Max Verstappen won the Monaco Grand Prix last Sunday with a huge lead over Fernando Alonso. Former F1 driver Timo Glock argues that the Dutchman is the benchmark for everything at the moment and thinks Alonso could become a great opponent to Verstappen.

Verstappen put his RB19 in pole position in Monaco after a frenzied final fast lap. A day later, the two-time world champion turned his pole into a victory, despite rain causing chaos in Monaco. In the end, the Dutchman won the race by a margin of almost 28 seconds over the Aston Martin driver.

Laudatory words for Verstappen

Verstappen's win in Monaco gives him a 39-point lead over his Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez, who had a dramatic weekend in the principality. "With his 39th win for Red Bull, Max Verstappen currently feels there is no upper limit for him. On all circuits, in all conditions, he is currently the benchmark," Glock said in his column at Sky Sports.

'Perez can't afford any more mistakes'

Perez's weekend was the exact opposite of Verstappen's. The Mexican struggled in the city-state and crashed early in qualifying, making his race incredibly difficult. "That [the crash] should not happen to him if he wants to fight against Verstappen for the championship. Perez can't make any more big mistakes because Alonso is always there, always on the podium and is slowly putting Verstappen under pressure."

Alonso biggest challenger?

Perez's dramatic weekend means Alonso is now just 12 points behind the Mexican in the championship. "Alonso can really become a big opponent to Verstappen. So maybe there will be another exciting fight. Sure, Verstappen and Alonso will also have a bad race weekend at some point, but then Perez has to stand there and take the points."