Max Verstappen’s friendship with fellow two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso has been on show to the world this season, with the duo having shared the podium five times this year already.
Despite having 16 years between them, Verstappen and Alonso appear to be incredibly close, to the extent where the Red Bull driver named the 41-year-old as his “favourite driver” on the current Formula 1 grid.
Whilst he also gave Lando Norris a special mention, the reigning World Champion revealed that he had a “lot of respect” for Alonso, given how well he’s continuing to perform despite his age.
“Probably Fernando [Alonso],” Verstappen said, when asked who his favourite driver was other than Sergio Perez.
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“It is a tough one, I get on really well with Lando [Norris] as well.
“But I have a lot of respect for Alonso at this age to still be that committed, yeah. I like his style, you know.”
Verstappen’s views of Alonso are clearly reciprocated, with the Aston Martin driver having recently shared how much he’d love to compete with the 25-year-old at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Alonso, of course, has won the famous 24-Hour race twice already; however, he’s admitted that he would return to the legendary French venue if he was partnered by the Dutchman.
Whether that happens in the future remains to be seen, with the pair currently performing at the highest level in F1.
Alonso has made an extraordinary start to the season and currently finds himself third in the Drivers’ Championship, as a result of having claimed five podiums from the opening six races.
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He claimed his best result of the campaign last weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix, where he converted second on the grid into second in the race.
Alonso had viewed the Circuit de Monaco as his best chance at ending his winless streak, which dates back to the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix.
Verstappen cruised to victory over Alonso by 28 seconds in Monaco, with the pair yet to do battle given Red Bull’s dominance.