Fernando Alonso feels Max Verstappen pain as Red Bull demand made

Fernando Alonso believes Max Verstappen could match his 2012 feat of challenging for the 2025 F1 world championship in the "third or fourth" slowest car.

Verstappen pulled out one of the great drives of his career to snatch pole and the victory in the Japanese GP, despite McLaren appearing to have the faster package. 

Alonso already branded Verstappen's pole lap as "magical" after denying Lando Norris by 0.012s, and speaking after the race, where Verstappen doubled the two-time champion's tally of 32 wins, he expanded further, drawing a comparison with 2012.

That year, Ferrari's F2012 machine was well off the pace, but Alonso dragged it to three wins and the cusp of the drivers' title in what is regarded as his best season in F1.

Ultimately, a late rally from Sebastian Vettel, including four straight wins, denied Alonso the title by just three points, as the Aston Martin racer spied a similarity. 

"I've been there. I've been fighting for world championships with the third or fourth fastest car," Alonso told media including RacingNews365. 

"So in the end, it's difficult as it was difficult for me to beat Vettel.

"So I hope for him he can fight until the end but they need to improve the machine a little bit.

"It's hard and I think people don't realise how difficult it is and how you need to make it perfect every weekend. And he's doing it so far.

"As I said it reminds me of my 2012, in a way when the car was not so good and we fought for the championship. Let's see, I hope for him he can win it."

As for his own Japanese GP, Alonso finished his first race of the season, but was in 11th place and is yet to pick up a point. 

It is his worst season to a season since 2017, when he recorded two DNFs and a 14th in the opening three rounds for McLaren.