‘He’s an animal’ - Why Verstappen wants Alonso to win if he can’t in F1

Verstappen has won five of the opening seven rounds in F1 2023 as he looks to be on course to claim a third straight title.

Red Bull have won all seven races this season and could become the first team in F1 history to win every race in a single season.

Speaking to the BBC ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Verstappen admitted he’d like to see Alonso win again if he doesn’t because of how he’s remained motivated despite slipping into midfield machinery for so many years.

"If you ask me one driver who I would like to see win a race, it's him,” Verstappen said.

"I like him. He never gave up and you can see he loves the sport. Sometimes, after so many years of only having a car that is capable of driving in the midfield, maybe you lose a bit of that love but he is a real racer. He is an animal.”

Verstappen could move level with Ayrton Senna on 41 wins should he win in Montreal this weekend.

Even so, Verstappen refused to draw too many comparisons to the past.

"People always have different kind of careers,” he added. “Maybe some drivers get into a race-winning car sooner than others. 

“Nowadays, we have more races than back in the day so I never really look at the number but as a kid I would never have imagined to be in that list. It is an amazing career for sure but you can't compare it.”