Alonso: Verstappen the man to watch if McLarens slip up

With Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris leading the standings and Max Verstappen closing in, Alonso believes the McLaren pair remain favourites but warned that the Dutchman cannot be ruled out.

The Aston Martin veteran said: “Difficult to guess. I would say that the two McLarens have a little bit of an advantage, just because of the points advantage. I would say it's between the two of them. But Max is an incredible driver, and if there is anyone who can overcome the deficit of the car, it's him. So, yeah, let's see.”

Asked what makes Verstappen so formidable, Alonso explained: “He’s a four-time world champion. He’s able to extract the maximum from the car, even when it’s not the fastest. He’s at a very good level, very high level. And, yeah, this year he's fighting against a superior car, which is the McLaren.

"But if it comes to the last race and they’re tight on points, maybe he becomes the man to follow. As I said before, the two McLarens have enough advantage to fight between them, but with Max, that can change quickly. As we saw in 2021.”

The 43-year-old Spaniard, a double F1 World Champion, knows the tension of a championship run-in better than most, having been in the thick of several title deciders himself. When asked how the mindset shifts late in the season.

Alonso reflected: “It does a little bit. You approach the weekend taking care of every single detail. It's not that you don't do that at the beginning of the year, but you understand that it's a long championship and you can afford some ups and downs. Now there is no room for mistakes anymore if you are chasing the leaders.

"So, yeah, there is a little bit of pressure on that. On the same way, if you are leading the championship, even if you have a little bit of margin, you don't want to lose that point advantage. So there is a different atmosphere for sure on the weekends, but it's a lovely place to be.”

Looking at the title fight between Norris and Piastri, Alonso reckoned: “You need to perform at your best. If Lando wins all six races, he will be the champion. But the DNF in Zandvoort was costly. Maybe Oscar can afford one, Lando less so. There’s also a bit of luck involved. Hopefully, we see a very exciting end to the season between Lando and Oscar.”

With six rounds remaining, McLaren’s intra-team battle and Verstappen’s relentless pursuit set the stage for a dramatic finale to the 2025 Formula 1 season, with Verstappen, George Russell at Mercedes and Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton all keen to end the year on a high, all in the mix. Six epic GP weekends await us!