Max Verstappen responds to Fernando Alonso’s link-up wish to tackle iconic racing event

Fernando Alonso weighs in on Aston Martin's chances of beating Red Bull.
Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso becoming Le Mans team-mates took one step closer to reality with the Dutchman admitting he would be open to the idea.
The combination of Alonso, who won the race in 2018 and 2019, and Verstappen taking part in Le Mans was first raised by the Spaniard when he admitted he would only return to the event with Verstappen by his side.
Well now Verstappen has confirmed he is also up for the most unlikely of collaborations.
Max Verstappen discusses Fernando Alonso Le Mans partnership
Verstappen has often spoken of his desire to race in other series and during Red Bull’s event at the Honda Thanks Day at Motegi, the reigning World Champion confessed which series is near the top of his list.
“Le Mans I definitely would like to do,” he said.
“I’ve been there already, when my Dad used to race in Le Mans. The atmosphere is amazing, so many people. Driving through the night, sunrise, I think it’s really cool.”
With Le Mans teams consisting of three drivers, Verstappen of course needs some team-mates and it appears Alonso has already put his name down.
“I’ve been speaking to Fernando about it,” Verstappen revealed. “He said he would only want to do it with me again. So, I was like ‘Wow, that would be really cool!’
PlanetF1.com recommends
F1 points all-time rankings: Where do Hamilton, Verstappen and Alonso feature?
Top 10: The drivers with the highest win percentages in F1 history
“The only thing is that, for Le Mans, there is not like a minimum weight for the driver. I’m quite a heavy driver, so I’d need to find light team-mates to compensate.
“But Fernando is quite light, so it would be quite good. But we’d need to find another one, so I need to have a look.”
Alonso spoke to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf last year when he said provided they had a competitive car, he would be up for the challenge.
“I know Max wants to do some endurance one day and I know he’d like to do the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” Alonso said.
“I’m certainly open to doing that together. I think we should give the idea a chance if we can drive for a competitive team.”
Read next: Toto Wolff exclusive: Huge Mercedes W15 design insight with ‘all sails set’ for 2024