Formula 1 legend Alain Prost believes that Max Verstappen’s competitors should brace themselves for more domination by Red Bull’s star driver.
Verstappen recently secured his third consecutive drivers’ championship in Qatar, with five races still remaining in the 2023 season.
Prost, a four-time world champion, admitted to L’Equipe that he expects Verstappen, who is 26 years old, to surpass all of his own F1 achievements. According to Prost, Verstappen is continually improving.
“When he defeated (Lewis) Hamilton, it gave him confidence in his abilities. That first title made him stronger, after which Max became much calmer while his desire to achieve remained the same,” said the Frenchman.
Prost, 68, emphasized that this development is concerning for Verstappen’s rivals, as he is unlikely to retire anytime soon.
He predicts that in the next two years, with stable regulations, Max will maintain his strength. Prost believes that even in 2026, if Red Bull faces a new challenge with their own engine, they will remain contenders for the championship.
Prost also highlighted that Verstappen’s motivation won’t wane even if Red Bull doesn’t have the best package with its own engine in 2026.
“When I was in Formula 1, the thing I was most worried about was not being able to fight for the title,” said Prost. “I think it will be the same for Verstappen: he will stay motivated because he knows that every weekend he can fight for victories.”
Prost speculates that Verstappen’s strong drive to win, combined with his limited hobbies, will likely keep him in F1 beyond his current contract, which runs until 2028.
“He doesn’t have too many hobbies – he’s built and born to win. It’s a little different from Hamilton or even from Ayrton (Senna), who had a lot of other things going on,” Prost noted.
“In the next two years, I do not see too many problems for him,” Prost concluded, while also raising questions about Red Bull’s future without Verstappen, which he considers a topic for another day.
