mobile app bar

4-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel names Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso as toughest opponents ever

Somin Bhattacharjee
Published

4-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel names Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso as toughest opponents ever

Sebastian Vettel revealed that Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso made his life really difficult on track. 

Vettel’s main rivals in F1 have been Alonso and Hamilton. When the German was at Red Bull, he drove arguably the best car at the time. In spite of that, Alonso in his Ferrari was always out there pushing him to the limit and was very close to winning the Title on several occasions.

In spite of the pressure Alonso put on him, Vettel managed to win four back-to-back Titles during his time at the Milton-Keynes-based outfit. However, his story at Ferrari was completely different. He joined the Maranello-based outfit in 2015 and spent six seasons with them where his main rival was Hamilton.

Vettel’s rivalry with Hamilton was different because he was on the losing end more often than not. His move to Ferrari was seen as a match made in heaven and people felt that the former Red Bull driver would help them win the World Championship. Unfortunately for him, Hamilton at the moment was driving for a team that dominated the sport.

Regardless, Vettel on his day always put up a strong fight. He shared some iconic moments with the two legendary drivers on several occasions on track.

Also read: Ferrari runs out of $140 Million budget; halts development on 2022 car after losing the championship title

Sebastian Vettel battles to the finish line with rival Fernando Alonso

Suzuka is Vettel’s favorite circuit on the calendar as he has stated previously. With 2022 being his last year in the Sport, the 35-year-old was really pleased to be back in Japan one last time.

Overall, it has been a very underwhelming year for Aston Martin and him. However, he and the team have shown some progress in the last few races.

Fans were also left in awe after Vettel and Alonso provided them with a photograph finish. The two drivers were right next to each other when they crossed the finish line after a great battle for the sixth place. The gap between the two of them was just 0.01 seconds!

Also read: “Push him into a mistake”: Sergio Perez explains how he put pressure on Charles Leclerc to help Max Verstappen become 2-time World Champion

Alonso will replace Vettel to fuel Aston Martin’s Title hopes

Aston Martin are a very ambitious team and it’s no secret that they are hungry for success. They aim to challenge for the Title in the coming years. Despite not performing so far, they are adamant that they are on the right track. Signing Alonso was a way of showing that they are serious about their goals.

When Vettel announced he would retire at the end of the campaign, people were expecting someone young and talented to join the team. However, it was the legendary 2-time Champion Alonso who was revealed as his replacement.

Alonso himself is not in F1 just for the sake of it. He is still in the sport at the age of 42, because he wants to see himself in another Title battle in the years to come.

Whether Vettel’s long term rival fulfils Aston Martin’s goals in the coming years or not is yet to be seen.

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

x-iconinstagram-iconlinkedin-icon

Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

Share this article