Max Verstappen believes Fernando Alonso will secure a Grand Prix victory soon, bringing to an end the Spaniard’s decade-long hunt for a 33rd race win.
Alonso last tasted victory at the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, when he was racing for Ferrari alongside Brazilian driver Felipe Massa.
With the Spaniard showing he’s still got what it takes to fight at the front with three consecutive podium finishes this season, Red Bull’s Verstappen believes that it’s only a matter of time before Alonso secures his 33rd Grand Prix victory.
“I think Fernando should have won, already, a lot more races than he has done. I think he deserves a lot more,” Verstappen said during the Australian Grand Prix weekend.
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“So I would be quite happy to see him win number 33.
“But I also, in a way, would like to see him win more. So, we’ll see in the coming races.”
While Verstappen believes that Alonso can secure another victory based on the strong performance of the Aston Martin, the 41-year-old seems to have bigger ambitions in mind.
Having already won two world championships, Alonso has been open about his desire to claim a third before he retires from racing.
“[Another world championship] is the aim for sure but I think at the moment we have to keep our feet on the ground,” the Spaniard said.
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“This 33rd [campaign]… ll these things that are happening now on social media, it was ‘El Plan’ three years ago, and then ‘The Mission’, and now ’33’,” Alonso told reporters.
Due to Alonso’s strong start behind the wheel of the Aston Martin, the team has been propelled up the rankings, from P7 at the end of the 2022 season to P2 going into round 4 in Azerbaijan.
Alonso himself is sat in third place in the Drivers’ Standings, just 24 points behind reigning world champion Verstappen.