Damon Hill has dismissed Fernando Alonso’s claim that Formula 1 is being unfair to Max Verstappen, branding the suggestion “a load of rubbish” after the Aston Martin driver argued the four-time champion is being short-changed by Red Bull’s underperforming 2026 car.
According to comments carried by Mundo Deportivo, Alonso said Verstappen remains “the best driver on the grid” but would likely finish the season fifth or sixth given Red Bull’s competitiveness problems, adding he did not know “if F1 is a bit unfair” to a driver of that calibre. Hill responded on Instagram with a blunt rejection of the framing, dismissing any suggestion that the championship picture is somehow skewed against Verstappen.
Max Verstappen Sits Seventh As Red Bull Search For Answers
The exchange lands with Verstappen seventh in the 2026 drivers’ standings, 103 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, and still without a win this season. His British Grand Prix ended early after his RB22 snapped away from him at Stowe in the closing laps, sending him into the gravel for what amounted to his third retirement of the campaign.
It is the latest chapter in a season that has repeatedly put Verstappen’s situation under scrutiny, with Red Bull’s form fuelling wider speculation — including reports linking Oliver Bearman to a potential Red Bull seat and question marks over how long Verstappen’s shadow will hang over McLaren’s driver plans. Hill’s intervention suggests the paddock’s senior voices remain split on how much sympathy Verstappen’s start to 2026 deserves.
