F1 2025: Jean Alesi backs Verstappen for drivers’ title, expresses shock at Lawson’s demotion

Former F1 driver Jean Alesi backed Red Bull driver Max Verstappen for the drivers’ title even though the McLarens appear to have the faster car.

“If I have to put the money on a driver, it will be Max. It’s very close, but given what we saw last weekend with Max’s drive, I will put the money on him,” said Alesi during a media interaction ahead of the Bahrain GP this weekend.

“I was extremely impressed by his drive, not only during the race, but also the qualifying lap he did. During the whole race, he managed to keep the lead and the distance between the cars behind, not to be in a position to be overtaken by the two McLarens who were on paper a bit faster than him.”

“When you see from the onboard camera, the way he is driving this car, he is never, ever making even a small mistake. He is just perfect,” he added.

Verstappen is just one point behind championship leader Lando Norris in the standings, and Alesi expressed that the former could make the difference in a tight battle.

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“At this level, we cannot talk about just the cars. When we see the difference between Max and his teammates, it is always extremely big. So, that means he can drive the car on the limit and make the difference. He is a powerful and experienced driver. Max has won the World Championship many times and knows how to handle the championship. For sure, the McLaren team is very strong because the two drivers are close and doing a good job together. But honestly, Max, at the moment, is the man who makes the difference.”

The 60-year-old also expressed shock at how Liam Lawson was booted out of Red Bull after just two races and replaced by Yuki Tsunoda.

“I mean, for me and most of the fans, what happened at Red Bull was – I don’t know how to express myself, but it’s too bad. For a driver like Lawson, who had absolutely zero chance to recover, two races and out was a shock. Tsunoda will do a good job, but will he be close to Max? I’m not so sure,” said the Frenchman.

The former Ferrari driver, who won his only race driving for the Scuderia, also backed the Italian team to fight back strongly after a disappointing start to the season.

“It’s, of course, a new driver coming in, and it’s not a common driver; it’s Lewis Hamilton. I’m sure the team is putting so much effort into ensuring Lewis is in good condition; maybe that makes some part of the team a bit weak. But we have seen already Lewis winning a sprint race, so they’re not so far.”

Alesi also threw his support behind Hamilton, who had a tough start to his Ferrari career and has been slower than his teammate, Charles Leclerc.

“I think we are very critical sometimes. He (Hamilton) changed teams and has to find his balance. At the moment, he has to learn many things. The numbers at the moment in the championships are not nice because they were thrown out of a Grand Prix in China. So, the zero points are quite heavy on the calendar and on the championship now with only three races down. But we have to expect his capacity to bring the team back on the winning line. And I believe it can be possible very soon.”

(FanCode is the official broadcaster for F1 in India)