Sir Lewis Hamilton has come a long way from his epic rookie season back in 2007. Not many drivers find so much success in their debut season itself. But Lewis Hamilton gave his teammate back then a pretty tough challenge. Fernando Alonso was already two-time champion when Hamilton joined McLaren as his teammate in 2007. After winning multiple races in his rookie season, he pretty much shocked the F1 world. Later, in 2008, he went on to actually win his first driver’s championship. Hence, Hamilton became the quickest driver to win an F1 title after making a debut.
Recently, in an interview with Sky Sports, the seven-time champion compared the quality of teammates he had so far and that of Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton believes he faced stronger teammates than Max has, making things easier for the Dutchman to survive in a team. He named Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, George Russell, Nico Rosberg, and Valtteri Bottas, who he thought were strong and consistent. But Hamilton told Sky Sports that Verstappen never had a teammate so strong like them. Since the car makes a lot of difference in the race, two strong drivers can have equal opportunities to win the title, let alone a race. Hence, what Lewis Hamilton claims might make some logic. But his rivals may not completely agree with him.
Christian Horner Criticises Hamilton’s Comments On The Quality Of Teammates He And Max Have Faced
On the other hand, Red Bull Boss Christian Horner later spoke to Sky Sports regarding the same issue. Horner mentioned that it is true Max had upper hand on his teammates. But it is not only about beating the teammate, they also have to beat the rest of the teams and their drivers. Horner believes Max Verstappen proved clearly what he is capable of. Moreover, there are many drivers who said “No” to the idea of being teammates with the Dutchman.
Adding to that, many drivers who have been teammates of Max have expressed how much pressure they were under because of the current double-time champion. On the other hand, Christian Horner expressed his surprise at Hamilton’s claims even after seven years of domination. However, Horner is happy that Hamilton will drive for at least another couple of years. He expects to see a few more battles between Hamilton and Verstappen in the next two years.
Lewis Hamilton Had An Epic Clash With His Teammate In 2016
Over the course of 15 years, Lewis Hamilton faced a lot of challenges from his teammates as well. In 2016, when Hamilton drove for Mercedes, his battle with his teammate Nico Rosberg was epic. The German driver was able to beat the Mercedes star driver in 2016. After a long time, the F1 fans got the chance to see an epic battle between two teammates in 2016. However, Lewis Hamilton had already won the driver’s championship three times prior to 2016.
But Nico Rosberg broke the streak of his teammate that year. However, Lewis Hamilton went on to win four consecutive titles after losing to Rosberg in 2016. Despite winning seven titles in total, Lewis Hamilton believes he always faced tougher teammates who challenged him throughout his career. Perhaps these teammates made Hamilton even tougher than before.