Max Verstappen has praised Fernando Alonso’s attitude towards racing whilst expressing his admiration for the two times World champion’s ability to compete for race wins in Formula 1 despite turning 40 at the end of July.

The 24-year-old Dutchman who became Holland’s first Formula 1 World champion after overtaking seven-time World champion Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix had previously expressed his admiration for Alonso’s driving style and his attitude towards racing when he was competing in Formula 3.

Verstappen, who shared the podium with Alonso at this year’s inaugural Qatar Grand Prix, spoke about his friendship with Alpine’s team leader in an interview for CarNext’s Youtube channel.

“At the moment, I have a really good friendship with Fernando because already, when I was still in go-karting, I really liked his style; he also ‘never give up’ and a real fighter. Of course, unfortunately now in the last few years, he hasn’t been able to do that at the front, just because he doesn’t have the car.”

“But I like his attitude. He’s really on fire. And also his drive and motivation at his age, to still be there in Formula 1, wanting to be there for a longer time, and he always wants to win. He always wants to do the best [he can]. For me, that’s really nice to see.”

However, Verstappen has said that his relationship with the Spaniard could be different in 2022 if the sport’s radically new regulations bring Alpine back into contention for the championship. Nevertheless, the Dutchman stated that he would be happy to see Alonso back at the front after years of struggling with inferior equipment.

“Of course, then it’s a different story, but we will still be respecting each other a lot, but I would like to see him back at the front, you know. He really deserves it, and of course, he’s a two-time World Champion.”

“But like I said, it’s also really nice just to talk to him and see how he thinks about situations.”