After five long seasons with Red Bull, Max Verstappen finally finds himself in a position to challenge Lewis Hamilton for the driver’s championship. This being his sixth season with the Austrian outfit, the Dutchman trails Hamilton by just two points with seven races left.

While Verstappen has one of the strongest Red Bull cars in the hybrid era, he also displayed incredible skill on a consistent basis. Ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso praised one of the 24-year-old’s key qualities.

Fernando Alonso on Max Verstappen: “He handles the pressure better”

Verstappen has seven wins from 15 races this year, two more than Hamilton. However, the Dutchman showed signs of struggle on a few occasions. Despite those few stumbles, Alonso believes he is one of the best in terms of soaking up the pressure.

The Spaniard said, “Max is right to take one race at a time, it’s the right approach. I really think he manages the pressure better than other riders, each of us tries to manage the pressure differently, but he seems to be able to do it very well.” (Quotes translated by Google)

READ MORE: WATCH: Max Verstappen Displays his Masterclass as a 12 Year Old on Karts

Alonso: Verstappen’s one of the reason I watched F1 when was away

Recently, Verstappen spoke highly of Alonso, mentioning he would watch the 40-year-old race if he wasn’t on the track. Alonso returned those words in kind, reiterating why he watched the Dutchman when he was away from F1.

“I’m glad Max said that,” said Alonso. “As I have said on several occasions Verstappen was the reason why I turned on the TV during the two years in which I was not involved in F1.”

With seven races to go, Alonso will look to score more points for Alpine starting this weekend. The two-time world champion showed the qualities which make him one of the best on several occasions this season.

Verstappen put in an excellent shift in Sochi two weeks ago, finishing second after starting from P20. And with seven races to go, the Dutchman will look to reclaim the championship lead which Hamilton currently possesses.

WATCH STORY: Top 5 Wins of Max Verstappen’s F1 Career