Hamilton: “My closest rival will always be Fernando”
After stating that Red Bull was just a drink manufacturer, Lewis Hamilton is now considering the case of Sebastian Vettel, whom he does not believe to be his greatest rival.
Indeed, when questioned by the British press, Lewis Hamilton states: “I think my enemy and closest rival will always be Fernando. […] Just because of my history, at the start of my career. I see him as my Prost. If we were Prost and Senna, and if you asked us to choose [one of the two], I would definitely choose Ayrton. And maybe I would make [Fernando] my Prost.”
Indeed, the rivalry between Lewis Hamilton, then a rookie, and Fernando Alonso, the reigning double world champion, in 2007, was reminiscent of the Prost-Senna duel to F1 observers in the late 1980s.
Since 2007, it’s been difficult to say that the two drivers have had many opportunities to cross swords again, much like Prost and Senna in the early 1990s. Although he was crowned in 2008, Lewis Hamilton did not have to fight against a Fernando Alonso who had returned to a still recovering Renault team. In 2009, the new regulations prevented McLaren from competing for the title, and the duels between Alonso and Hamilton were confined to the middle of the pack, as in the British Grand Prix where the two drivers were fighting for 16th place. Subsequently, even though both men returned to the forefront in 2010 with Alonso’s arrival at Ferrari, the rise of Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel short-circuited any potential rivalry between the Brit and the Spaniard.
But precisely, what about Sebastian Vettel who, since his debut, has established himself as a future star of F1 and today is a world champion?
“I don’t think [he is my rival] » declares the McLaren driver before clarifying: “Of course, he will become one if he continues to have such a fast car, but I am convinced that when we have an equivalent car available, only then will we witness a real battle. »
The Briton is not satisfied with this analysis: « Maybe he is the new Mansell? Although I don’t put him on the same level as Mansell. » Everyone will have their own opinion.
The fact remains that the 2008 world champion is endlessly seeking comparison with the Brazilian idol. He had thus declared to the Sunday Observer: « I feel really proud that people say I can win more championships, but I am not here to race for ten years and only win one or two titles. […] I want to be the best driver of my generation, so I want to win more titles and I think you have to keep winning and surpassing yourself so that people know you are the best. For now, I can’t say people [can say that]. I’ve only been here for four years, so I still have a long way to go. »
For this, Hamilton hopes to capitalize on the upcoming developments of the MP4-26 and is already setting a date with Vettel and Red Bull in Malaysia.
