What Caused Fernando Alonso & Lewis Hamilton to Spectacularly Fall Out at McLaren

When Lewis Hamilton joined McLaren back in 2007, he was just a rookie driver. His teammate, on the other hand, was Fernando Alonso, a 2-time world champion. In Formula One, your teammate is your biggest rival, and Hamilton and Alonso are prime examples of that.

Their first season as teammates would also be their last. But the Formula One community distinctly remembers how the rookie driver challenged Alonso for the title back in 07′ but ultimately lost it to Kimi Raikkonen.

What happened between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso at McLaren?

Hamilton had just joined McLaren as a rookie in 2007. While Alonso was looking to defend his championship from his rivals on the grid. So it is understandable if Alonso would be concerned that a talented rookie was coming after his title. What is more interesting is that both, Hamilton and Alonso had an equal amount of points at the end of the 07′ season.

Furthermore, seeing that Hamilton had joined a British team, there is a possibility of Fernando thinking that the Woking-based outfit could favor one of their own.

An incident that happened between the duo was at the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix. During the intense qualifying session, Alonso allegedly wasted time in the pit box, so that his teammate couldn’t have enough time to put in a lap time in Q3 of the session.

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – OCTOBER 18: (L-R) Mclaren Mercedes team mates Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Fernando Alonso of Spain appear at the drivers press conference during previews prior to the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix at the Autodromo Interlagos in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Another issue Alonso had with McLaren was the infamous “Spygate” scandal. The Spaniard allegedly threatened the then-boss Ron Dennis to reveal documents to the FIA that they had stolen confidential documents from Ferrari.

Before the 07′ season wrapped up, Alonso had announced that he would go back to Renault for the 2008 and 2009 season. Thus bringing an end to his partnership with Hamilton at the Woking-based team.

Watch Story: From Serena Williams to Chris Hemsworth: Celebrities Lured by the Glitz and Glamor of Monaco

Alonso doesn’t rule himself out for fighting for the title in 2022

The 2-time world champion proved his doubters wrong when he finished third at the Qatar Grand Prix. Still showing excellent pace throughout the weekend, Alonso thinks he can challenge his rivals for next year’s championship. Additionally, he feels with a level playing field next year, a title race could be on.

He said, “Well, it’s difficult to predict what is going to happen in the next few years but yeah, I would love to be in the fight with them and whoever makes a good car next year I think it’s a reset for everybody and it’s up to us to produce a fast car.”

Formula One F1 – Qatar Grand Prix – Losail International Circuit, Lusail, Qatar – November 21, 2021 Alpine’s Fernando Alonso in action REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

“It’s not like this year, which was a continuation of the last campaign but in 2022 everyone has the same cards so we need to play smarter and hopefully produce a fast car and if we are in that position I feel strong, I feel ready to take the battle and let’s see,” he explained.

With just two races remaining till the end of the season, what are your predictions for Alonso for the remainder of this year? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Read More: Fernando Alonso Reveals His Biggest F1 Rival Amidst the Likes of Hamilton, Schumacher & Vettel

The post What Caused Fernando Alonso & Lewis Hamilton to Spectacularly Fall Out at McLaren appeared first on EssentiallySports.