Formula 1 is a unique racing sport where the car is paramount in where a driver is likely to finish a race. Even the best drivers on the grid may not be able to fight for wins and podiums if they do not have a car that is capable of doing so. Fernando Alonso has recently made this same point by citing the example of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The Briton, who dominated the turbo hybrid era from 2014 to 2021 by winning six of his seven championships in this time, is now struggling to even finish on the podium in the 2023 season. The 38-year-old has finished just once on the podium this season in Australia.
As for Alonso, he has had a flying start to the 2023 season after several mediocre campaigns before. The Spaniard has finished on the podium in five of the six races that have so far taken place this year. The only race in which he failed to do so was in Baku.
Because of the contrasting successes that Alonso and Hamilton have had in the 2023 season so far, fans often do not give the Briton enough credit for the resounding success he had before. However, Alonso believes that this should not be the case and has explained a harsh truth about F1 to explain the same.
Fernando Alonso explains a brutal F1 truth
Lewis Hamilton is struggling to replicate a similar level of success he had in the last decade not because he has become a worse driver than he was before but because he no longer has the best car on the grid. This season Red Bull has the best car on the grid and has won all six races to reflect their dominance.
Reigning Drivers’ Champion Max Verstappen has won four races while his teammate Sergio Perez has won the other two. This contrasting difference in the performance of Hamilton this season as compared to the last decade indicates the fact that the car has a major role to play in determining the success of a driver.
Fernando Alonso made this same point in a recent interview with DAZN as he said, “In Formula 1, the car is the most important thing. That is something that has never changed“. The Spaniard then cited the example of Hamilton to explain his point further.
“Look at Lewis Hamilton, who has won seven titles and now it is difficult for him to get on the podium. And it is not that he has forgotten to drive. The Mercedes is simply not in a position to add podiums,” explained Alonso.
Hamilton has often complained about the Mercedes car this season
With Lewis Hamilton struggling to fight for podiums and wins in 2023, he has often complained about the Mercedes car. At the beginning of this year’s campaign, the Briton slammed the team for not listening to him and producing a car that is not competitive enough.
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live’s Chequered Flag podcast (as quoted by ESPN), he explained how his emphatic success in the past has helped him gather a good understanding of what a car needs and what a car does not need.
The 38-year-old then stated that he had hoped to pass on this knowledge to his Mercedes team. Hamilton believes that since his side ignored his concerns about the car, they are currently struggling as compared to the leaders Red Bulls.
