Red Bull stalwart Paul Monaghan believes Fernando Alonso would have no problem winning a title again in Formula 1 provided that he had a capable car at his disposal.
Alonso’s protracted drought without a single win has been well-documented, with the Spaniard not standing on the podium’s top step since triumphing on home soil in 2013.
He capitalised on Aston Martin’s surge in 2023 to begin the season as the main challenger to the dominant Red Bulls, taking six podiums across the opening eight races.
But Aston Martin being unable to sustain that momentum witnessed an alarming decline in 2024 which saw Alonso go the entire campaign without a top-three result.
However, Alonso is hoping that the Silverstone-based squad can capitalise on the impending regulation change coming in 2026 to bridge the gap to the leading sides.
Monaghan, who had a stint as Alonso’s race engineer at Renault in 2003, harbours no doubts that the Aston Martin driver, now 43, is good enough to operate at the sharp end.
“He is relentless enough. If you give him the chance of a win, he’s not going to screw up, don’t worry,” Monaghan, who has been with Red Bull since 2005, told DAZN.
“He was so calm when he was leading his first win in Hungary [2003], nothing bothered him.
“I doubt he’ll suddenly get a dose of nerves and make a mistake. If you give him the chance of a win, he’ll get it, don’t worry.”
Alonso versus Verstappen title prospect
Alonso is pinning his hopes of securing a long-awaited third Drivers’ Championship on the vast investment that Aston Martin has made in a bid to enhance its prospects.
The British marque has transcended its Silverstone base into a state-of-the-art headquarters and dovetailed it with some headline technical recruits from rival teams.
That includes ex-Red Bull design guru Adrian Newey, whose arrival in March alone has seen Aston Martin be tipped to become a title threat when the rules reset next term.
Aston propelling Alonso into the fight at the front could pit Alonso against Verstappen, a mouth-watering proposition that Monaghan suspects would be a blockbuster match-up.
“We are going to have to make a lot of cars because they are not going to be half a millimetre apart,” he quipped. “I imagine they would be fast, fair, relentless?
“The radios would be pretty busy, there would be enough respect between the two. It would be a no-brainer.
“Honestly, if Fernando at this stage of his career can fight Max, hats off to him. It would be great to see.”
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