Lewis Hamilton is regarded as one of the best drivers to have driven in Formula 1. With seven titles to his name, Hamilton needs little to prove to anyone about his skills and cal iber. However, the past two years have not gone the way the Briton would have liked. Last year, Hamilton lost his potential eighth title to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after a neck-to-neck battle throughout the season.
In 2022, Hamilton has faced problems with his car and has not been able to get a podium finish so far. Nevertheless, the Mercedes driver is still a champion. However, Fernando Alonso recently said that the seven titles won by Hamilton are not as valuable because it was more of an intra-team contest for the Mercedes driver.
“I also have a lot of respect for Lewis. However, it is different when you win seven world titles when you have only had to fight with your team-mate. Then I think a championship has less value than when you have fewer titles, but against other drivers you have had to contend with equivalent or even better equipment,” said Alonso to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
“In 2005 and 2006, I had a good start to the year myself and was able to create a lead. Then others might have had a better car, but I was able to manage that gap. I never had to fight with my teammate to win those titles. Nor did I see Max fighting with [Sergio] Perez or [Alex] Albon to win races.”
Alonso’s bold claim created a buzz in the media to such an extent that the Alpine driver had to clarify his statement. Alonso said that he is tired of the continuous search for headlines and also stated that “all titles are amazing”.
“And again…Please, all the titles are amazing, well-deserved and inspiring. Incomparable to each other and let’s enjoy champions and legends of our current time. Tired of the continuous search for headlines. Let’s enjoy them,” tweeted Alonso on Saturday (29 October).