Alonso on Verstappen: 'Red Bull is not a winning team because of him'

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alonso lashes out at hamilton and verstappen mercedes red bull
6 September 2023 at 08:26
Last update 6 September 2023 at 09:49
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  • GPblog.com

It is often said that Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have built the whole team around themselves at Mercedes and Red Bull Racing respectively. Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso cannot agree. The Spaniard argues that the two multiple world champions "just found the winning team".

Alonso on dominance Hamilton and Verstappen

Hamilton switched in 2013 and from the 2014 season onwards, the Mercedes driver was hugely dominant for a long time. According to Alonso, this was not because of Hamilton himself. "When Hamilton went to Mercedes, he didn't build anything to become champion. It was only the change in regulations (switch to hybrid engines), which changed everything on the grid and gave Mercedes a boost," the Spaniard told Marca.com.

Alonso does not think Verstappen arrived at his dominance in any other way. "I think the same with Max. He joined Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) and Red Bull, but Hamilton kept winning everything. Red Bull is not a winning team thanks to him. It is simply the regulation change in 2021 that has made them win all the races now."

According to Alonso, a driver cannot build a team around him at all. "When we say we can 'build' teams around us, we can't do that at all. I don't understand it. This is a sport where technical decisions, regulations or the inspiration of the designers make more difference than someone's input or personality, or the way someone drives," Alonso concluded.