Alonso appreciates Verstappen's special 'not in the system' attitude

19:31, 21 Nov

byKada Sarkozi

World champions Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso talked about what they have in common at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

"Maybe you are not the good guy, if I can say. 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."

- Fernando Alonso

Currently, there are three world champions on the Formula 1 grid: Verstappen, Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

When asked about what they have in common and the mutual respect between Verstappen and himself, the Spaniard explained that he understands the Dutchman in many ways.

He began: "I think, coming from countries that are not really into F1 so much — especially Spain, I would say, because Jos was already a master. In fact, I raced with Jos a couple of years and with Max eight.

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

He added: "Apart from that strong personality — the results and the talent, not only in F1, also in the junior categories and from karting already — we all knew that he was this kid coming. In my case, I had always a lot of respect."

Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen at the Brazil GP - Photo: Race Pictures

Verstappen also appreciates the two-time world champion

The Dutchman then continued: "What I like is just Fernando’s mentality and just general personality. He’s just himself, which I think is just very nice to deal with. You see what you get."

Verstappen also explained that at some point, he was rooting for Alonso against his current team, Red Bull Racing.

He continued: "Of course, before I was in Formula 1 — 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 — yeah, it attracts you.

"I think as a driver, you like what you see. He’s a proper fighter, and he still is. I have a lot of respect for Fernando — still doing it at his age. Sorry. But yeah, it’s very nice to see to have that much passion for the sport."

Verstappen continues his title battle as the underdog this weekend in Las Vegas. With three Grands Prix and a Sprint to go, the Dutchman trails championship leader Lando Norris by 49 points in the standings.

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