Verstappen hopes to fight for wins with Alonso: "He deserves it"

Max Verstappen, recently crowned Formula One world champion for the first time in his racing career, hopes Fernando Alonso can fight for victories again in the future. The Dutchman feels he deserves it for his relentless fighter's mentality.

Since the beginning of the hybrid era, Alonso has been unable to fight for victories. Verstappen, who has since developed a good friendship with the Spaniard, praises his colleague for his relentless fighting spirit.

"At the moment I have a very good friendship with Fernando. When I was still racing in karting I already liked his style, because he never gives up and is a real fighter," says Verstappen in conversation with David Coulthard for CarNext.

He continued: "Unfortunately he hasn't been able to fight up front in recent years because he didn't have the car for it, but I like his attitude. He's really on fire. Also his great motivation to still be there at his age and still want to win, for me that's really nice to see."

Then comes the inevitable question from Coulthard: Would the two still get along as well if they were competing for the championship? Verstappen acknowledges that it could be a different story then, but that the mutual respect will always remain.

"I would love to see him back at the front. He deserves it, he's a two-time world champion and it's really nice to talk to him and see how he thinks about some situations," concluded the 2021 world champion.