Drawing on his own experiences, F1 legend Gerhard Berger notes the similarities between Fernando Alonso’s 2023 season and his own remarkable journey. As Max Verstappen gears up for a potential third consecutive championship, the seasoned two-time champion Alonso, at 41 years old, emerges as his primary challenger alongside Sergio Perez.

“I read somewhere that Verstappen and Perez is the repeat of Senna against Prost. Yes, Verstappen is in this league,” Berger told Kronen Zeitung newspaper.

“Perez is doing his best to stay close to Max, but to me it looks like Verstappen is going it alone.”

That leaves Aston Martin’s Alonso as the only real challenger behind the dominant Red Bulls – a situation Berger says reminds him of 1988 when McLaren won almost every race while he trailed home in third place for Ferrari.

“I was in the same role that Alonso is in today,” said the 63-year-old Austrian.

In that year, Senna and Prost won 15 of the 16 grands prix in 1988 – with Berger the only non-McLaren driver to break the perfect run.

“I look back on it with fondness,” Berger said. “Not because I beat the McLarens, but because it was a special story to win with Ferrari in Monza.

“The 1988 season reminds me a bit of this year. These are similar circumstances. I was like Alonso, in the waiting position, often at the front, waiting for something to happen.”

Berger, however, isn’t sure Red Bull can break McLaren’s record of winning almost 95 percent of all the grands prix in a single season.

“We can’t forget that there are many more races than there used to be,” he said. “So it’s hard to believe that all the races will be run without incidents or technical problems.

“But purely in terms of performance, it is certainly possible,” Berger warned.

So even if a clean-sweep for Red Bull is unlikely, Berger thinks Verstappen is in line to eventually smash all of the existing F1 records.

“I’m confident Max can break all the existing records in Formula 1, including Hamilton’s 103 wins. He says it’s not important to him, but that will change in the future.”

Max Verstappen secures his fourth victory of 2023 as he crosses the finish line. Verstappen now holds an impressive 39 wins at Red Bull, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s team record. The Dutchman adds another triumph in Monaco to his name, marking his second win at the prestigious race. Furthermore, his championship lead extends to 39 points, solidifying his position at the top.

Fernando Alonso comes agonizingly close to securing pole position, but in a breathtaking display, Max Verstappen snatches it away with a sensational final sector.

Alonso appeared poised to claim the top spot, but Verstappen unleashed a remarkable performance in Sector 3, achieving a purple time and narrowly edging out the Aston Martin driver by a mere 0.084 seconds.

Q2 Knock-out

Once again, Hamilton manages to secure his passage with a remarkable final lap!

Despite not having his tires in the optimal condition he desired, Hamilton showcases his prowess by delivering a crucial lap precisely when it counts. This performance lands him a respectable fifth place in the session, closely trailing his teammate George Russell.

“Man, this car is incredibly challenging to drive, mate,” remarks Hamilton, highlighting the demanding nature of his racing machine.

Q3 Knock-out

Max Verstappen asserts his dominance with an impressive display across three rapid sectors, clocking in at 18.804, 34.148, and 19.086. This remarkable performance results in a time of 1:12.038, which stands as the fastest lap of the entire weekend thus far.

Pierre Gasly delivers an outstanding lap, securing the second position just 0.131 seconds behind Verstappen. Following closely are Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, and Carlos Sainz, completing the top five contenders.

Facing setbacks in their tire strategy, Lewis Hamilton finds himself utilizing the same set of tires from Q1 for his initial attempts as Mercedes aims to realign their track plan. As of now, he occupies the 11th spot and holds the distinction of being the final driver to have established a proper lap time in Q2.

Hamilton’s teammate, George Russell, sits one place ahead in the rankings.

Last year winner, Sergio Perez’s loss of control at Turn 1, resulting in a forceful collision with the barriers that abruptly concluded his qualifying session.