Alain Prost draws parallels between his 1993 season and Max Verstappen's form in the current era of F1

Alain Prost (left) and Max Verstappen (right) (Image courtesy: @a.prost and @maxverstappen1 on Instagram.)
Alain Prost (left) and Max Verstappen (right) (Image courtesy: @a.prost and @maxverstappen1 on Instagram.)

Former F1 world champion Alain Prost has compared his final title-winning season in the sport to Max Verstappen's current dominant form.

Max Verstappen has been on a tear ever since the new regulations kicked in at the start of 2022. Much of his success has been down to Red Bull acing it with Adrian Newey leading the development of the RB18.

Verstappen won 15 out of 22 races in 2022 while Red Bull claimed 28 podium finishes in total. That dominance appears to have rolled forward with the RB19 following the team's consecutive one-two finishes in the opening two rounds of the 2023 season.

On the latest episode of F1's Beyond The Grid podcast, Alain Prost was asked if being in an all-conquering car changed his approach to racing, and the four-time world champion took the moment to liken his situation to Max Verstappen's. He said:

"It changed because of the perception of the people outside. Because for you, when you are a racing driver... and obviously you can ask Max (Verstappen) today because he has a dominating car, it's not going to change anything. He is going to try and win all the races he can and win the championship. For me, it was the same."

Prost also admitted that despite driving the state-of-the-art FW15C during his one and only season with Williams, it was not his favorite car to drive. The Frenchman went on to add:

"It was a new technology. It was a new car. A new way of setting up the car and even working with the engineers which was not my best or my favourite car in terms (of the fact) that I used to do more or less everything by myself. With the active (suspension) it was done more by the engineers, working on the computer and working on the suspension. So that is maybe the biggest problem but otherwise I had a very different approach."

Max Verstappen remains tight-lipped on RB19's chances to replicate its predecessor's success

Max Verstappen was relatively coy about his and Red Bull's chances with the RB19 in 2023 after a dominant showing from its predecessor, the RB18.

After a record-breaking season that saw him win his second Drivers' World Championship title while catapulting Red Bull to their first Constructors' crown since 2013, Verstappen is expected to continue performing at this exalted level.

Heading into pre-season testing in Bahrain ahead of the first race in 2023, the two-time world champion was optimistic about what he could achieve without getting carried away.

In a press release issued by Red Bull, Max Verstappen said:

"I’m feeling nice and relaxed heading into the 2023 season. I had a good break and prepared well this year. Time is so limited at testing so hopefully, we have some solid days without too many issues, it’s important to have smooth sessions."

The Dutchman went on to add:

"The Team have worked hard over the winter and I hope the RB19 is another good car to challenge up at the front with but time will tell."

With a dominant win already in the bag and another podium finish after starting from P15 on the grid, it will come as no surprise if Max Verstappen and Red Bull go on to break and set more records during the 2023 F1 season.

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Edited by Nihal
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