F1 News: “Cannibal” Max Verstappen & Fernando Alonso Declared F1’s “Strongest” as 2024 Season Gets Closer

Some weeks ago, Max Verstappen revealed the possibility of racing with Fernando Alonso, not in F1 but in LeMans. But why only Alonso, and not any other driver? Well, the Spaniard’s record speaks for himself. 2 F1 World championships, over 20 years of F1 experience, and 2 LeMans victories. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen has shown the absolute force that he is and is a perfect candidate for a LeMans seat. Amid all this, former Renault driver, Giancarlo Fisichella declared Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso as F1’s strongest. But why?

Some of you might be wondering about where Lewis Hamilton falls in the equation of the strongest driver. And while the Briton finished 2nd in the championship, the season wasn’t an impressive one by his standard. Max Verstappen, on the other hand, showcased uncanny dominance and has become the man to beat. Fernando Alonso, after a surprise move to Aston Martin, seems to have been rejuvenated and is back in his prime (if it ever went away.)

The 2024 season is almost upon us, with multiple teams revealing the launch date of their cars. Amid all this, 3-time F1 race winner Giancarlo Fisichella has now opened up about the 2023 season and the drivers that impressed him the most. And for obvious reasons, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso are at the top of his list. Let’s have a look at what Fisichella has to say.

According to SoyMotor, talking about Fernando Alonso, Giancarlo Fisichella said, “Extraordinary return, a season of eight in the report card. I was clear, if he is physically well, he is still among the strongest. I would be curious to see him in a car capable of fighting for the title.” He then continued and talked about the 2023 championship winner and added, “Max Verstappen at the moment is a cannibal, very difficult to overcome.”

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And it seems that the F1 Team Principals agree with Giancarlo Fisichella as suggested by the 2023 F1 driver ranking, according to the Team Principals.

Max Verstappen tops the list as Fernando Alonso finishes second 

At the end of every year, the Team Principals put out a list of the drivers in order of who they think has performed the best. It was a no-brainer that Max Verstappen came out on top in 2023. He bagged the world title, with the most wins in a season accompanied by the record for the most points. But what came as a shock to many was Fernando Alonso finishing P2 just behind Max Verstappen. 

Alonso finished 8th in these rankings in 2022 and was up by 6 positions. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, finished 5th losing a spot to his P4 finish in 2022. Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc finished P3 and P4, respectively. Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri, Alex Albon, George Russell, and Sergio Perez rounded up the Top 10 drivers of 2023 as per the Team Principals. 

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