Despite the decline in Red Bull's recent overwhelming superiority, Max Verstappen is anticipated to clinch his fourth consecutive world championship in 2024, according to Fernando Alonso.
Formula 1 icon Alonso concurs with the opinion that Red Bull's competitors, particularly McLaren and Ferrari, are now serious contenders at the forefront of the race.
"There will be more race winners," mentioned Alonso in a discussion with EFE news agency before his home grand prix in Barcelona.
"McLaren is strong," Alonso remarked. "Ferrari seems to have the best car in many races. But no, there is no longer a world championship (battle)," he asserted. "This will be Verstappen's fourth title."
"With the total of 24 races all together," Alonso noted, "the least mistakes will be made by Verstappen and Red Bull."
Astonishingly, Alonso, now driving for Aston Martin, doesn't view Verstappen as his main barrier to securing his 33rd grand prix victory and a third championship title.
"For sure," he affirmed, when it was suggested that Adrian Newey, the designer, has been pivotal not only to Red Bull's success but also to Alonso's challenges in accumulating further victories and titles.
"In the years when I was at Ferrari, Red Bull was the great dominator with (Sebastian) Vettel and (Mark) Webber," Alonso recalled. "Either of them could win the races. And in this era, the truth is that Verstappen is dominating everyone and Newey is largely to blame for this, yes," he stated with a smile.
Newey is exiting Red Bull and is rumoured to be considering lucrative offers from several teams, including Aston Martin.
"I like him very much," Alonso continued, still discussing Newey.
"He is a fierce rival who has helped all the teams he has been with to improve. To always look for a better version of ourselves. Now that he is on the market, logically we would all want the chance. He is welcome to join us.
"But it looks like he is going to Ferrari, so we will have to see what he decides," he added.
Currently, despite significant advancements under owner Lawrence Stroll's leadership, Aston Martin is experiencing a slump in performance.
Consequently, Alonso has sobering news for his Spanish supporters this weekend.
"I suppose between eighth and twelfth," Alonso predicted when asked about his expected finish on Sunday. "That is our natural position this year. But arriving at the home grand prix and saying you hope to finish tenth is not too good for enthusiasm," he said with a smile. "So it's normal to dream of a little more, right?"
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