Alain Prost explains why Max Verstappen titles worth less as F1 dominance rolls on

While Alain Prost regards Max Verstappen as one of the best drivers in Formula 1, he feels Verstappen has suffered from the lack of competition when it comes to the value of his titles.

There is no disputing the fight Verstappen faced versus Lewis Hamilton to secure his maiden crown in 2021, but that would serve as the prelude to his rise to dominant status, Verstappen having stormed to continued title glory in 2022 and 2023, shattering his own records along the way.

Alain Prost feels sorry for Max Verstappen over devalued titles

Verstappen’s Red Bull team won 21 of the 22 grands prix in 2023, Verstappen claiming 19 of those, while the dominant Dutchman has headed three Red Bull 1-2 finishes out of four races at the start of the F1 2024 campaign.

And Prost believes this has created the perception for some that Verstappen is winning because of his Red Bull machinery, while the lack of competition from his team-mate or a rival team takes away some value from the championship wins.

Asked by Sports Illustrated to reflect on his epic rivalry with McLaren team-mate Ayrton Senna, and whether in modern F1 he feels Verstappen’s dominance is impacting the fanbase, Prost replied: “It’s different. I mean the fight with Ayrton was also because we were team-mates for two years and our rivalry went after our team-mate period, so it’s very different.

“Today, the big teams are organised a little bit more like a number one driver, number two, especially with Max, for example, at Red Bull. So, it’s a little bit different, but I still think that if you have a fight for a championship with two or three different teams, the value of the winning driver is always better.

“But, it’s always a difficult thing because, for example, Max is one of the best drivers today. Maybe the best, you have to accept that.

“If you look at the perception that people can have – he’s winning because of this car, so in fact, it’s not as good for himself, which is a shame, because I think he’s really part of the success.

“But the big teams like Ferrari, like Mercedes, like Red Bull obviously, they are going to be more organised and have more chance to win if they have a number one driver, a favourite driver in the team. And then they concentrate on that. So it’s a little bit of a shame at the moment, we do not have that.

PlanetF1.com recommends

Follow PlanetF1.com’s WhatsApp channel for all the F1 breaking news!

The F1 2024 Drivers’ Championship standings without Max Verstappen

“We did not have that as much, Ayrton started and Michael [Schumacher] and Lewis and now it’s Max. It’s not always the decision of the driver, it’s part of the game today. But again, if Ferrari can join the fight and maybe Mercedes later on or next year, it’s going to be quite a nice fight.

“Especially with Ferrari, because Ferrari is a big name in Formula 1. If they start to fight again for a title, especially with Lewis next year, it is going to be a big thing. Then social media is going to work well for sure.”

Ferrari are the closest challenger to Red Bull so far in F1 2024, the Scuderia having posted a 1-2 finish of their own in Australia after Verstappen retired in the early stages due to a brake failure.

Heading into Round 5 in China, Ferrari are 21 points behind Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship, but Mercedes face a taller task to close in on Red Bull, with George Russell’s P5 in Bahrain their best result so far this season. Mercedes sit P4 in the standings and 107 points behind Red Bull.

Read next: Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso ‘both told no’ as Red Bull theory quashed