Fernando Alonso sets out Max Verstappen 'intimidation' plan in new ...

Proclaiming “everyone” who has fought Max Verstappen for a title has not been able to “intimidate him”, Fernando Alonso has vowed to do just that – but in 2026.

Verstappen wrote his name in Formula 1’s history annals on Saturday as he became only the sixth driver to win four or more World titles. He’s the second after Sebastian Vettel to win his first four in succession.

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock and Pablo Hidalgo

Verstappen won his first of four titles in 2021, beating Lewis Hamilton in a ferocious back-and-forth battle, while his second came at the expense of Charles Leclerc, although that was done all but mathematically by mid-season.

In 2023, he was peerless but this season McLaren’s Lando Norris looked to take the fight to the Red Bull driver with notable clashes in Austria, Austin and Mexico.

However, in one of those, Mexico, did Norris come out on top in the wheel-to-wheel combat.

Verstappen responded to that challenge by putting in arguably one of the best wet-weather drivers witnessed as he raced from 17th on the grid to first in Brazil, taking the chequered flag with a 20-second winning margin. Norris faltered that day, in part due to the timing of a red flag but two mistakes after the restart also cost him positions.

Easing back out to a 62-point lead, Verstappen lined up on the Las Vegas grid with one hand on the Drivers’ Championship trophy and Norris needing to outscore him by three points to keep the fight alive into Qatar. He wasn’t able to, finishing a distant sixth to Verstappen’s P5 with the Dutchman securing the title as he took an unassailable 63-point lead.

With Norris’ challenge having imploded in the space of back-to-back Sundays, Alonso says the time will come when someone takes the fight to Verstappen. He hopes he’s that one, but concedes it may have to wait until 2026 when he races an Adrian Newey-designed Aston Martin.

“Everyone who has fought Max for championships so far hasn’t managed to intimidate him much,” the Spaniard told DAZN. “Hopefully it’s my turn someday and I can change that story.”

“Congratulations to Max,” he added. “I hope to be there in 2026.”

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The Spaniard was one of the first to congratulate Verstappen on Saturday night, going up to the 27-year-old to give him a pinch of the cheek and a big smile.

“Obviously a big, big congratulations [to Verstappen],” he told the media including PlanetF1.com. “This one, it has to feel very special to him I imagine, because the car is not maybe as dominant as last year.

“So I think he did an incredible performance this year to put the car in a position that it was not maybe realistic. And the best example is Brazil.

“So yeah, this is all down to him this year and he was the best. So always things to learn from a driver like him in this kind of performances this year.”

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