Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are the two oldest drivers racing in Formula One currently. They had a long and epic history. But the two legends of the game have come a long way since their rivalry in 2007. Alonso is 42, and Hamilton is 38, and the old horses are still going strong. Fans are eagerly waiting to see one of them beat the young maestro, Max Verstappen. On the contrary to Hamilton and Alonso, Verstappen said he has no wish to race till he turns 40.
Who knows, maybe he won’t take that long to win seven or more titles. But coming back to Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, they’ve immense respect for each other. Both legends have proved time and again how passionate they’re to race in Formula One. Recently, in an interview with GQ Magazine, the Spaniard discussed the possibility of Hamilton not continuing to race if he had the similar trajectory to Alonso.
Why Lewis Hamilton Motivates Fernando Alonso To Keep Going At 42?
The Aston Martin driver always found himself at the right place but at the wrong time. He left McLaren when Hamilton went on to win his maiden title. Then he kept changing teams, and now he’s with Aston Martin and doing really well. But Red Bull is currently dominating. Two years ago, Mercedes was dominating. Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso had even retired once. Later, he came out of retirement to resume his career. It has been a difficult career trajectory for the former champion. Hence, it is intriguing to see him still motivated to race against the modern-day champions. Recently, Fernando Alonso told GQ Magazine that every driver has their own motivations and personalities.
But in case of Lewis Hamilton, Alonso said that it is very motivating to see the Briton still fighting hard even after winning so many titles. Moreover, Alonso said that Hamilton has always been focused and competitive even when he didn’t have a competitive package. Albeit, those periods weren’t as many as Alonso had to go through, he praises Hamilton for keep on performing at a high level. Moreover, Fernando Alonso mentioned that it is great to see Lewis Hamilton to not give up as he is chasing Sergio Perez for the P2 finish. The fighting spirit of Lewis Hamilton is an inspiration for every driver and racer. That’s why Hamilton and Alonso are different from other drivers in the past.
Brief Summary Of Alonso And Hamilton’s Rivalry As McLaren Teammates
Hamilton was the teammate of the Spaniard in his rookie season. Alonso was already a star as he was a two-time champion. But Alonso won the two titles with the Renault F1 team. Later, he joined McLaren. But Hamilton, as a rookie, provided a real challenge to the then-most popular F1 world champion.
Later, the duo did not turn quite productive for the McLaren team. And Alonso left the team to join Renault back again. Later, in his sophomore year, Hamilton won his maiden World Championship. The Alonso-Hamilton internal rivalry is pretty popular in the sport’s history.