Fernando Alonso has taken a dig at former McLaren team-mate and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton after claiming that the reason the Mercedes star is failing to win this year is because he no longer has “the fastest car in the sport” after regulations changed before this season.
Hamilton won all bar one Drivers’ Championship from 2014 to 2020 as he cemented himself as the most dominant driver in the sport. He almost made it five consecutive titles last season, although he was beaten at the final hurdle by Max Verstappen in controversial circumstances.
However, the Brit has struggled heavily this season after regulations changed over the off-season. Mercedes’ cars have been battling porpoising and have massively struggled to keep up with Ferrari and Red Bull.
And Alonso has suggested that the only reason Hamilton was so dominant was because he had the fastest car at the time. “This is Formula One! It’s always been that way,” Alonso told RacingNews365.
“When Ayrton Senna won titles and races, he had the fastest car. When I won two titles, I had the fastest car. Michael Schumacher also had the fastest car in his time.” Hamilton looked to break Schumacher’s record of seven Drivers’ Championship titles before his loss to Verstappen last season.”
But the Spaniard believes that a huge factor was that the Mercedes car was above and beyond all of its competitors – implying that it wasn’t so much skill on Hamilton’s behalf. “Lewis broke all racing and pole position records because he had the fastest car,” he continued.
“Now he may be able to race very well, but he will cross the finish line in thirteenth. That’s just how it goes in Formula One.” Hamilton currently sits seventh in the standings after recording just one podium finish all season.
The Stevenage-born star came 13th in Imola last week, his lowest finish since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last season and his second-lowest since 2012.
With Charles Leclerc and Verstappen racing ahead for the title, Hamilton will need a huge turnaround in fortunes if he is to get involved in battling for race victories.
He has already ruled himself out of winning this year’s Drivers’ Championship. He said: “We’re obviously not fighting for this championship but, we’re fighting to understand the car and improve and progress through the year. That’s all we can hope for right now.”
