Alonso welcomes Hamilton in the midfield
Interviewed by BBC Sport, Fernando Alonso welcomed Lewis Hamilton to the midfield, while also stating that the British driver is still as skillful as before.
Since 2013, Fernando Alonso has not had a car that allows him to fight, fairly, for the title or at least for victories. Even though the Alpine is more competitive than the McLaren Honda during the dark years experienced by the Woking team between 2015 and 2018, the Spaniard is still fighting in the middle of the pack.
This year, Lewis Hamilton is experiencing a season start that is almost unprecedented for him. Accustomed to fighting for titles and Grand Prix victories in almost every season since his arrival in 2007, the British driver seems to be facing more difficulties with a less performing car.
Interviewed by BBC Sport, Fernando Alonso first acknowledged that this situation was not exceptional in Formula 1. « It’s the nature of the sport. Sometimes, you have a better car, sometimes you don’t have such a good car and you need to fight and make progress. »
Despite a lackluster start to the season for the seven-time world champion, Alonso doesn’t believe that the British driver is performing below his usual standards. This year, it is evident that the driver plays a significant role in Formula 1, but not a crucial one. Lewis is driving as well as he has for the past eight years. He used to dominate the sport, break all the records, and secure over 100 pole positions. And now, he sets a great lap time – as he mentioned in Australia or somewhere like that – and he is a second behind. So yes, welcome.
The native of Oviedo also finds some similarities between Lewis Hamilton’s situation and the one he experienced in the past. It happened to me when I won both championships [in 2005 and 2006 with Renault]. I was beating Michael Schumacher. It was a big topic, but my car was more reliable at that time and had very good performance, and you can’t praise that package enough, because the headlines will always be about the driver. And with Lewis, it’s the same.
The Bull of Asturias does not, however, question the merit of Hamilton’s successes, but it serves as a good reminder for him that the car plays a significant role in the statistics. « Having over 100 pole positions in F1 is something unthinkable. You need to have the best car and the best package for many, many years. […] He deserves everything he has achieved in the past, but this year serves as a good reminder that in all these records and figures, a large part depends on what you have in your hands as a package in the car. »
Asked about the duel between Hamilton and his teammate Russell, Alonso still believes that the 37-year-old Briton will come out on top against his young teammate. George has been very fast in recent years, and I think everyone expected him to be a tough competitor for Lewis. But I still believe that Lewis will finish ahead in the championship. There have only been five races, but when things get tougher or if there are difficult situations, Lewis will always have more experience and maybe more talent. The question remains whether Mercedes will bring the necessary improvements to make the car more competitive.
