Fernando Alonso knows all too well what it’s like to be in a title fight. He won two titles in 2005 and 2006 at the expense of rival Michael Schumacher and he took on Lewis Hamilton in 2007. He also fought several times for the world title with Sebastian Vettel when the Spaniard drove for Ferrari.
That was all a while ago and this year he and Alpine are not eligible for the battle for the world title. It is Mercedes and Red Bull – and in particular Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen – who are crossing swords.
Alonso can enjoy that Hamilton will face real opposition this year. “As an outsider it is very interesting to follow and see”, the two-time champion said in conversation with, among others RacingNews365. “At least now we don’t have the same situation as in previous years when it was Lewis against Lewis and very occasionally, but not often, against Bottas.”
The Alpine driver enjoys the fact that there is another real title fight going on in Formula 1. “We have another interesting championship at the moment that we can follow with a little more adrenaline until the race in Abu Dhabi. That is a good thing” he sounds excited.
When asked who his favorite is, he has to admit that it is Verstappen. “At the moment I would have to say that Max is the favourite, because he performs better, but it could be different again. That depends on the performance of Red Bull and Mercedes and the updates they will bring to the car. We will follow the battle closely,” said Alonso.
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