F1 French GP: Ahead of his 300th race in the form of the French GP, Mercedes’ driver, and seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton revealed his toughest rival and it is none other than his former teammate Fernando Alonso at McLaren with whom the Brit shared the podium once. Follow Formula 1 and French GP LIVE updates with InsideSport.IN
Asked who was the hardest contender he had faced in his career to date, Hamilton, who was in a press conference with Alonso, named his previous McLaren partner. “I think it’s difficult to say who has necessarily been my strongest competitor, because every time you’re with someone you’re in a different place of your life,” Hamilton said.
“But I remember the task of being alongside Fernando when I was 22, you know, I was so young mentally and of course — OK in terms of skill — but it’s a lot of pressure to go up against a great like him,” Hamilton added.
“So I would say out of pure pace, I think I would say it’s Fernando and his ability. We had some good battles, I wish we could have more. Hopefully, he will continue to race, and hopefully, we will have more in the future,” Hamilton further added.
Greatness respects greatness 🤝@alo_oficial 🤜🤛 @LewisHamilton #FrenchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/OscaMSK9vO
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 22, 2022
Meanwhile, Hamilton made his F1 debut with McLaren in 2007 as Alonso’s partner. The two drivers came quite close to bringing home the championship, which Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen clinched with a tiny margin of just one point.
After winning two consecutive F1 titles in the year 2005 and 2006, Alonso had a fallout with McLaren’s team as he became aware of special treatment for Hamilton and left the group toward the end of the season.
In Sunday’s French Grand Prix, Hamilton will join an elite club consisting of only five different drivers to have reached this milestone in their careers, including Alonso for 344 races and record holder Kimi Raikkonen on 349.
Meanwhile, Alonso was also not short of complimenting Hamilton as he mentioned him as a ‘legend of our sport’. The Spaniard was even asked how much the Mercedes driver had changed since his debut in 2007.
#F1 #LewisHamilton #FrenchGP 🇫🇷:-
🗣️ | Fernando Alonso
🎙️ | On Lewis Hamilton’s 300 GPs“I don’t think Hamilton has changed much in these 300 GPs. He had talent from his early days at McLaren. It was a pleasure to share this time with him on the track.” pic.twitter.com/oey4rCRnJd
— Mercedes – AMG F1 News (@MercedesAMGUK) July 22, 2022
“I don’t think he changed much, to be honest. He had the talent already in 2007 and he still has the talent now, with experience. He has been a tremendous driver and a legend of our sport,” Alonso said.
“So it has been always a pleasure to share all this time with him and back then, probably, no one thought someone will be able to win seven titles as Michael [Schumacher did]. But yes, the journey has been amazing and the team that they all built in Mercedes over these years, it was outstanding. Congratulations for the 300th and hopefully another win soon,” Alonso added.
Moreover, Hamilton will join an elite club at the French GP and join five other drivers on this list which include, Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher, and Jenson Button. All five drivers have failed to win a race from that point onwards.
But, Hamilton who is yet to win a race this year is not fazed by the stats and is hopeful of winning this year. “It doesn’t faze me because I am working towards getting that win. I do believe we will at some stage be able to compete with these guys. Whether it is this weekend or in five races time,” Hamilton concluded.
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