Max Verstappen, Red Bull Formula 1 driver, praises his current rival Fernando Alonso following an intense battle for the pole at Monaco Grand Prix. He believes the Spaniard’s current position is a “great example” of reward for self-belief and commitment.
The Red Bull driver thwarted Alonso of his first pole position since 2012 during the last stages of Q3. His perfection of final corner cover the deficiency of earlier sectors.
Improved Aston Martin has provided Alonso a chance to show himself on the track. In recent year, the Spaniard had a devastating career owing to sub-optimal machinery struggles.
Verstappen expresses his opinion of Alonso being his contender.
“It’s nothing of a surprise! I grew up watching Fernando in F1, I like his style and for him to still be here at 41, it is very impressive,” Verstappen said.
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“I think it’s a great example for people out there, you know, if you stay committed and believe in yourself, believe in the opportunities that come to you, then you can show something.
“He’s doing that right now, and also [showing his] natural raw talent.”
Despite winning the pole position at Monaco, he does not consider it his best. The team communicated the gap between himself and Alonso, but he could not risk everything over the pole.
Therefore, he maintained the risk free drive in earlier sectors while putting all resources in the final sector. It eventually paid off in pole position for the Dutch.
“I don’t think [it was my best], but it was good enough. I’m just happy to get my first pole here,” Verstappen reflected.
“You know, it’s always super hectic. We also had clean running in Q3 as well, so that was nice for everyone to just push to the limit.
“The whole session went really well. I struggled a bit in the first lap with worn tires and putting it all together, all the sectors. But I knew that the last time, I had to do it because [Alonso] improved. I also knew going into the last sector I was down on them, so I had to push in the last second and risk everything to get back time.”
