Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey has suggested that Fernando Alonso has mellowed out since his fierce team-mate rivalry with Lewis Hamilton back in 2007, and that it would be a different story if he were to partner the seven-time champion or Max Verstappen in 2023.

While the unbeatable performance of the RB19 is allowing Verstappen to dominate the Drivers’ Championship in 2023, the incredible showings from the legendary duo of Alonso and Hamilton have got fans dreaming of a three-way fight between the trio.

Alonso has already stood on the podium seven times this season, collecting 174 of Aston Martin’s 221-point tally, while Hamilton scored a pole position in Hungary and sits third in the standings with six rounds of the season remaining.

When asked about the idea of having two world champions as team-mates, Newey told the Beyond The Grid podcast: “It’s a difficult one to manage. But, ideally, there are some drivers who will be happy battling each other on the track, but not bring it into the garage, and other drivers who will perhaps turn it into a bit of a political game.

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“That’s a difficult one, like anything, politics is such a kind of destructive force because it just saps everybody’s energy. I mean, Fernando is one of the most formidable competitors ever, and famous for not getting on that well with his teammates.

“If let’s say, it was Max versus Fernando, or Lewis versus Fernando again, would Fernando, with all that experience he now has, be different from Fernando versus Lewis of [2007]? I think Fernando would be different now, he’s mellowed.”

Having two drivers with title-winning potential can be an issue, but it is not one facing Red Bull currently. Sergio Perez heads into the final six rounds of the 2023 campaign with a 177-point deficit to Verstappen in the standings.

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The 33-year-old came out of the blocks flying this year, winning two of the first four races, but has since failed to notch a single Grand Prix victory, prompting fans to call for Red Bull to replace him with a driver more capable of fighting Verstappen.

It is unlikely that we will ever see Alonso or Hamilton face off as Verstappen’s team-mate at Red Bull, but in Lando Norris, we could soon see a future world champion face off against the imperious Dutchman. 

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