Alonso: You need something special to beat 'unbreakable' Verstappen

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Fernando Alonso says Max Verstappen is at the top of his game and forms a perfect combination with Red Bull that will be hard to beat, but the Aston Martin charger is looking forward to giving it a try.

Verstappen currently leads the Drivers' championship ahead of its fourth round this weekend in Baku, having triumphed in two of the first three races of the season, while Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez has contributed one win to the team's dominant track record.

All signs point to an intrateam battle of the bulls for the remainder of the season, as only a reliability glitch or unexpected weakness will derail the Red Bull runway train according to Alonso.

"I am looking forward [to fighting Verstappen] because at the moment he is on the top of the game," the Spaniard told the media in Baku on Thursday.

"He is driving better than everyone else, he has the fastest car, everything is perfect.

"So to beat that perfection, you need something really special and you need to see some weak points from Max.

Read also: Horner doesn't see Verstappen 'being a Fernando Alonso'

"At the moment, you don't see it because he is in a comfortable position and he is extremely good so at the moment he seems unbreakable.

"It is good to challenge those kinds of guys and see if there is any weakness in Max. That curiosity is growing because he is doing better and better every time.

"I would love to challenge him. At the moment, we are still missing a bit of speed there."

Although Alonso will pull out the stops to challenge Red Bull, the Aston Martin driver fears that the Milton Keynes-based outfit and its star driver will remain unassailable until Formula 1's next regulation reset in 2026.

"If I am outside the sport and I have to bet on the championship, I would bet on them," added the two-time world champion who has finished on the third step of the podium in each race so far.

"If I had to bet on '24 and '25, until the regulations change, I would bet on Red Bull to win. It is like Mercedes - until a change came to the sport, they were dominating. It happens always like this in the sport's history.

"When [there was] the blown exhaust, Red Bull was dominating. In the hybrid era, Mercedes was dominating. Now with this ground effect, it is very difficult to see a change once they started and they have the advantage.

"As an Aston Martin driver and competitor, I will hope they don't win in '24 and '25, but they have a good advantage, a very strong team, so it will be a challenge for everyone to catch Red Bull."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.