Fernando Alonso hits out at F1 legend in Lewis Hamilton feud claim

Fernando Alonso speaks angrily into a microphone as Lewis Hamilton looks on glumly — Photo: © IMAGO

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Alonso hits out at F1 legend in Hamilton feud claim

He believes his feud with Hamilton could have ended differently

By Sam Cook.

Tuesday 13 February 2024 19:57

Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso has claimed that his relationship with Lewis Hamilton may not have exploded as spectacularly if someone other than Ron Dennis had been McLaren boss at that time.

Spaniard Alonso joined the Woking-based outfit in 2007 after winning the last two world championships and, seemingly, expected to be the favored driver over the rookie Hamilton.

Despite this, Hamilton was seemingly granted equal opportunities to Alonso, and the pair were embroiled in a huge championship battle which ultimately resulted in them both finishing on the same amount of points, one point behind eventual champion Kimi Raikkonen.

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On a number of occasions throughout their one and only season as team-mates, the overall team result was often sacrificed for individual gain, something that Alonso admitted in an interview recently.

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He managed to claim eight podiums in 2023 in what he described as his 'best season ever', and team owner Lawrence Stroll has given him the resources to challenge right at the front once again.

Now, Alonso has said that his 2007 feud with Hamilton may not have happened if someone like Stroll was McLaren boss during that particular season.

“We were young, immature, I was the first, and we had many clashes," Alonso explained in the DAZN documentary, Fernando. Revealed.

"And then we had a boss who did not know how to control the situation because I believe that this would not have happened with Flavio Briatore, or with Lawrence Stroll.

“There are certain characters in Formula 1 who are respected, and others where the drivers have a bit of control of the situation,” he continued. “And in that McLaren of 2007, the drivers had too much control, and no one gave us a serious warning.”

Lewis Hamilton McLaren Aston Martin Fernando Alonso Kimi Raikkonen