Fernando Alonso’s age blamed for Max Verstappen defeat

Former F1 driver David Kennedy has given his verdict on two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

Former racing car driver David Kennedy believes the Monaco Grand Prix was Fernando Alonso’s for the taking. 

The Spaniard continued his formidable run of form and looked to have secured pole position in Monaco had he not been beaten by the reigning world champion Max Verstappen.

Kennedy believes the qualifying battle between Alonso and Verstappen was the difference. 

“I think he had a car that could have put it on pole in Monaco. It was just that last several hundredths of a second.”

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During an enthralling qualifying round, Charles Leclerc and Alonso looked to be the two in contention for pole. However, the Dutchman Max Verstappen showed his extraordinary pace with a superb final sector in his last lap, taking home an invaluable pole position. 

Nonetheless, with his pole position woes behind him, Alonso was able to finish the race runner-up to Verstappen, marking his fifth podium finish for the season. 

David Kennedy believes age has been a factor in Alonso’s failure to pip Verstappen to pole. 

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“It is just nature’s way and you can’t beat it. There are drivers and whether they take it on one, two, or even three years – it just slips away. We’ve seen it time and time again over the years. It’s a hard fact but that’s nature’s course.”

At the tender age of 41, Alonso has shown little to no signs of slowing down. The Spaniard sits third in the drivers standings with 99 points and he looks on course to finish the season in the top three. 

Such form has sparked claims Alonso may been in contention for a third world championship title. The Spaniard won consecutive titles in 2005 and 2006 whilst racing for Renault.