F1 broadcaster Rob Kamphues believes that while he would want to see Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso partner up, Alonso is likely “too old” for such a challenge.
Alonso has been quite the revelation in F1 2023, proving that age is just a number behind the wheel of the Aston Martin AMR23.
The Spaniard departed Alpine for a multi-year deal with Aston Martin, with whom he has seven podium finishes, including P2s at the 2023 Monaco, Canadian, and Dutch Grand Prix.
The ultimate goal for Aston Martin and Alonso is to take another major stride forward next season and challenge F1 2023’s dominant force Red Bull, who are once again having issues with the driver in their second seat.
There are no worries for Verstappen, who won his 13th race of the season in Japan to continue his unstoppable march towards a third World Championship in a row, while teammate Sergio Perez is going through another troubling period.
The Mexican’s racecraft, which was often his strength as Verstappen’s teammate during this dauting challenge, has gone missing in recent rounds, with Alex Albon and Kevin Magnussen both victims of poor manoeuvres.
He is under contract with Red Bull until the end of 2024, but this current dip has reignited talk that Red Bull may look elsewhere for Verstappen’s F1 2024 teammate.
However, speaking on Ziggo Sport’s ‘Race Café,’ as reported by GPFans, Kamphues believes the ship for a Verstappen-Alonso dream partnership has definitely sailed.
“Surely he is a touch too old, with all due respect,” Kamphues said of Alonso.
“I’d be thrilled. I like Alonso, but I don’t see it happening.”
This season, Alonso has comfortably outscored his teammate, with seven podiums to Stroll’s none, while Alonso has scored 174 points to Stroll’s 47.
Aston Martin, on the other hand, has struggled to stay up with Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren in the F1 2023 development race, with IndyCar racer Rinus VeeKay alleging the team and driver had fallen into a “slump” as the season has progressed.
However, with Alonso obviously the Aston Martin driver who is impressing, VeeKay is not convinced that having a teammate challenge like Verstappen would benefit Alonso at this level.
“Talking about team-mates, that’s of little use to him,” VeeKay replied. “What I had with Ryan Hunter-Reay [as IndyCar team-mates], he has the opposite with Lance Stroll.”
Alonso is still in contention for the P2 spot in the Drivers’ Championship, with the two-time World Champion sitting P4 and 49 points behind Perez.
Leave a Reply