Fernando Alonso challenges Lewis Hamilton’s track record
The Spaniard undervalues his teammate's titles at McLaren. He emphasizes the fact that he only fought against his teammate to win them.
A few words to add fuel to the fire. Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are not the best of friends and over the years, their relationship has not improved. After the Spa-Francorchamps incident, the Briton offered a cap to the Spaniard as an apology, following the collision caused by the Mercedes.
This gesture had somewhat calmed the intense tensions in the paddock between the two men. However, hostilities quickly resumed. For the double world champion with Renault, Lewis Hamilton’s seven titles hold little value in his eyes.
“I have a lot of respect for Lewis, but it’s still different to win seven world championships when you only have to fight against your teammate. I believe that such a championship has less value than when you have fewer titles but have to battle against drivers who have equal, or even superior, equipment,” he assures our colleagues at De Telegraaf.
In 2005 and 2006, I had a good start to the year and was able to widen the gap. Then maybe the others had a better car, but I was able to manage that lead. I never had to fight with my teammate Giancarlo Fisichella to win those titles. Nor did I see Max fight with Sergio Pérez or Alex Albon to win races. But Schumacher in particular fought with his teammate Rubens Barrichello to become champion five times in a row, and Hamilton fought with Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas. It’s different, in my opinion.
Hamilton’s response, Alonso’s clarification
In response to these attacks, Lewis Hamilton responded briefly via a tweet. The Briton posted a photo of a podium in Indianapolis in 2007 where he had emerged victorious, with his teammate Alonso finishing second. He added a thumbs-up to his post.
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) October 30, 2022
Fernando Alonso has also posted a message in which he wished to clarify his remarks. The future Aston Martin driver accuses De Telegraaf of taking his statements out of context. And again… Please, all the titles are incredible, well-deserved, and inspiring. Incomparable to each other, let’s enjoy the champions and legends of our current era. Tired of the constant search for titles. Let’s enjoy them.
