Alain Prost expressed his belief that Max Verstappen’s three world titles are less deserving due to Red Bull’s overwhelming dominance in the world of Formula 1. Verstappen’s recent performances have earned him widespread acclaim and many consider him to be one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport. At just 26 years old, Verstappen is on track to replicate his championship-winning form from 2023 in the current season. However, Prost, a former F1 world champion himself, has pointed out the lack of competition that Verstappen faced during his title-winning years.
Verstappen’s outstanding performance in 2023 cemented his status as an all-time great. He left no room for competition and broke numerous world records on his way to winning the championship. Despite this, Prost remained indifferent to the praise showered upon Verstappen for his achievements.
Initially, Prost commended Verstappen for his impressive victories in Formula 1 and acknowledged him as one of the best drivers in the sport’s history. However, Prost also acknowledged the lack of competition from rival teams on the grid. As a result, the 69-year-old believes that the championship’s value is significantly diminished.
Ferrari and Mercedes made multiple errors during the 2023 season, failing to provide any meaningful competition to Red Bull. Drivers such as [insert names] had no chance of defeating Max Verstappen throughout the season. Prost suggests that the key to challenging Red Bull’s dominance lies in finding a “real first driver” like Verstappen, as Red Bull has done.
Prost described the situation as “pitiful” for Ferrari and Mercedes, as they lacked a stronger number-one driver. However, he remains hopeful that both teams will find the perfect combination for the 2025 season, especially with Hamilton’s move to Ferrari. This could potentially lead to a “big battle” between the rival teams and Red Bull.
Other F1 teams are striving to close the gap and challenge Red Bull’s pace advantage. Ferrari is making progress and getting closer to Red Bull in terms of race victories this season. It is only a matter of time before the remaining teams are able to provide a worthy competition to Red Bull. However, it is expected that Red Bull will continue to dominate for the remainder of the ground-effect era.