The 2007 Hungarian GP saw McLaren having a major fallout between their drivers, reigning World Champion Fernando Alonso and rookie Lewis Hamilton. Team boss Ron Dennis was left furious and the F1 world was shocked when Alonso allegedly attempted to block Hamilton’s pit stop and compromise his strategy during the qualifying session. 16 years down the line, Alonso revisited the incident and opened up about his side of the story, trying to prove his innocence.
The incident in 2007 was one of the most infamous moments in Alonso’s career. This incident has haunted him on several occasions in the years to come. The Spaniard gained widespread notoriety throughout his career due to his ultra-competitive nature and straightforward attitude.
Currently at the twilight of his career, Alonso has tapered down his attitude a lot. He believes that his side of the story never made it out which is why people judged him without any reason back in 2007.
Fernando Alonso pleads innocence
Fernando Alonso recently appeared on a special episode of the BBC podcast Chequered Flag where he spoke about his incident with Hamilton. Alonso explained that he has often been misunderstood which has led the media creating a ‘bad boy’ persona out of his actions.
Alonso explained, “I never hold anyone, they [McLaren] just put me on old tyres when it was a qualifying.” He insisted that the radio transcript would back all his claims. However, his team ended up covering all of this up. A disappointed Alonso recalls how McLaren created history by becoming the first team to protest against their own driver. It also led to him getting a penalty, that put all the blame on him.
Alonso went on to say that all of this is just part and parcel of having a long and successful career in any sports. He explained his theory by bringing in examples of soccer legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Alonso compared himself to Messi and Ronaldo
Fernando Alonso compared his situation to the likes of Messi and Ronaldo. He explained that if anything happens to a player from a small club, people do not really pay much attention. However, if a top player like Messi or Ronaldo gets a red card, the media makes a big deal out of it.
Now towards the end of his career, Alonso is trying his best to stay away from any kind of controversies. He made quite a resurgence when he started to consistently claim podiums for Aston Martin at the start of the 2023 season.
Alonso has made it very clear that his main aim right now is to help Aston Martin in any way that he can. He understands that he comes with a lot of experience and that can help the team improve and develop, and that is the main goal for Alonso currently.
