Once behind the wheel of an F1 car, Fernando Alonso is one of the deadliest forces on the grid. The 40-year-old is currently driving alongside the Frenchman Esteban Ocon for the Alpine team. The Spaniard recently clinched his 98th career podium at the Qatar GP in 2021. Notably, his last podium was for Ferrari in 2014, the year before he joined McLaren.
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Alonso was part of the Woking-based team for 4 seasons between 2015 and 2018. When Honda returned to the sport in 2015, it became an obvious choice for Mclaren as it saw their successful history. However, things didn’t go so well for the team this time. The two worked together for three seasons between 2015 and 2017, with Mclaren finishing 9th, 6th and 9th in the constructors’ championships.
Formula 1 F1 – Qatar Grand Prix – Losail International Circuit, Lusail, Qatar – November 21, 2021 Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium after winning the race alongside second-placed Red Bull Max Verstappen and third-placed Alpine Fernando Alonso REUTERS / Hamad I Mohammed. won / swimming pool
It is noteworthy that Alonso was very critical of the Japanese engine manufacturer because of McLaren’s poor performance on the track. This criticism seems a long time ago, because Max Verstappen’s Red Bull with a Honda engine won the drivers’ championship, while Mclaren with a Mercedes engine fought in the midfield.
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Did Fernando Alonso miss an opportunity to fight Lewis Hamilton?
The Spaniard left Mclaren at the end of the 2018 season after announcing his retirement from Formula 1. In 2021, however, he celebrated a comeback with the Alpine team and was able to deliver some very impressive performances. However, the current situation calls for far-fetched speculation. What would have been the result if Alonso had carried on with the Woking team, including that in a Honda-powered car?
In a recent interview with Motorsport, ex-F1 driver Anthony Davidson shared his opinion. “I wonder how he saw Honda’s performance last year,” said the Briton of Alonso.
Davidson had a long history with Honda during his time in the sport. He was a test driver for BAR-Honda for many years and in 2007 and 2008 drove for Super Aguri, which also used the Japanese engine.
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When asked whether, in his opinion, Alonso and McLaren had fought for the title against Hamilton and Mercedes, he had a rather indirect answer.
“Well, I don’t know. But then McLaren would have got the factory support from Honda that Red Bull had had in recent years. Of course, McLaren is currently driving a Mercedes engine that is as powerful as the Honda engine. “
“But it’s also about additional budget that they would otherwise have had. That is perhaps the most important point. Otherwise, they could have invested the money they spend on leasing engines in the development of the car, ”said Davidson, as reported by Motorsport.
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The two drivers will certainly try to challenge each other on the grid, no matter which car they are in. The Hungarian GP 2021 is a good example of this. As F1 fans, we always look forward to this rivalry. Tell us about your most beautiful Alonso Hamilton moments.
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