Alonso provides damning Verstappen F1 prediction

Fernando Alonso has conceded the F1 grid "think they will not win" the Drivers' championship after Max Verstappen and Red Bull's performance in the Bahrain pre-season test.

Dutchman Verstappen enters the new campaign looking for his fourth consecutive title having dominated last term, breaking the F1 record for most wins in a single season.

But Red Bull has not let up in its quest for perfection and has made plenty of changes to the baseline provided by the RB19 that won all but one race last year, with the RB20 displaying new innovations including the radical vertical sidepod inlets.

Addressing the pecking order ahead of the opening round of the season at the Bahrain International Circuit, Alonso said: “I don't have a crystal ball to know what the others are doing.

“I think Max is the world champion and Red Bull is dominating the sport. Also, the concept that they presented this year, it's also a surprise.

“At the moment, we just have to watch them and see how they perform.

“I think 19 drivers in the paddock now will think that [they] will not win the championship.

“It happens 99% of the time in your career. This is a brutal sport.”

'Less chance for everybody'

Given Red Bull's domination last season, where the team also failed to win just one Sprint along with the one dropped race win, it is hard to believe the Milton Keynes-based outfit could further stamp its authority over the sport.

Yet on whether Aston Martin had a race-winning car, Alonso conceded: "I think it's difficult to tell now.

“I would say after seeing Max and the Red Bull car this year, there is less chance for everybody to win a race this year. But this is how it is.”