Alonso up for Verstappen: 'Ferrari also retained wins'

Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel have stood up for Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen. According to the two former champions, despite the 2021 budget cap saga, there is no doubt who is the rightful world champion.

Red Bull Racing is under a magnifying glass after the FIA made it clear that the team had exceeded its 2021 budget cap. Red Bull strenuously deny it, but its competitors want to see a severe penalty. Yet not all of Verstappen and Red Bull's competitors agree with that statement.

Indeed, Alonso, in conversation with Motorsport-total.com that he does not believe Verstappen should surrender his title. According to Alonso, Ferrari also won in 2019 with a car "that everyone knew was illegal" without the team having to hand in those wins. The two-time world champion speaks of a grey area in sport: ''All world champions exhaust the grey areas.''

Former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel also thinks it is unjust that Verstappen's title is in doubt. However, the German does believe that the FIA should be open and transparent. After all, now everyone is guessing how much the budget cap has been exceeded and in which area. According to the four-time world champion, the FIA should be clearer about this and make a decision.