David Coulthard has interestingly revealed that he would love to create an unorthodox team consisting of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, just for the thrill. Hamilton and Alonso were teammates at McLaren in 2007 but did not work too well between them. Despite the same, Coulthard wants them on the same team if he ever becomes a team principal.
In a conversation with Eddie Jordan on the Formula For Success podcast, Coulthard said,
“I will put Lewis Hamilton in there for sure as someone who is just a winning machine when the vehicle is below him. And if money were not an issue and all those sorts of things, I would put Fernando alongside him“.
Soon after, Coulthard acknowledged that things did not work out well for Alonso and Hamilton when they were teammates in 2007. They developed a very strong rivalry, which affected team dynamics at McLaren. However, the 52-year-old is keen to see if Alonso and Hamilton can work together now, with both getting more mature with time.
2007 was a campaign that was marred by not only the on-track controversies between the two McLaren teammates but also off-track troubles. The FIA stripped McLaren of all championship points following the infamous 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix after they caught the team lying.
How Lewis Hamilton and Alonso’s rivalry cost McLaren a championship
McLaren called both their drivers to the pits ahead of one final run during qualifying in Hungaroring. While the team serviced Alonso’s car in time, Hamilton failed to cross the line in time to begin his flying lap. This was because the FIA found out that the team had deliberately kept Alonso stationary for 20 seconds to prevent Hamilton from completing his pit stop in time.
“The explanation given by the team as to why they kept Alonso stationary for 20 seconds after completion of his tire change and therefore delayed Hamilton’s own pit stop is not accepted,” read a statement from the FIA. This was not the end of controversies for McLaren as the FIA also stripped them of all championship points by the time the season ended due to the infamous Spygate controversy. This affected their chances of winning the constructors’ championship that season.
Since Hamilton and Alonso have so much history, it does seem uncanny that Coulthard would pick the two of them. However, the ex-Red Bull driver did have some reasonable alternatives who could team up alongside Hamilton.
David Coulthard named Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri as his top choices
David Coulthard stated that if he were to make a dream team, then he would attempt to combine the experience of Lewis Hamilton with someone young, who can learn from the seven-time champion. The 52-year-old sees Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and George Russell as the three upcoming drivers who would suit this role best.
While Russell did not have the best of campaigns in 2023, he certainly showcased his potential in 2022. In fact, the 25-year-old beat Hamilton in their first season as teammates at Mercedes by 35 points. As a result, it is fair to say that the young Briton has no fear despite being aware of his teammate’s legendary status.
As for Norris and Piastri, both McLaren drivers had an outstanding 2023 campaign. Norris finished sixth in the championship with 205 points, just a point behind fourth-placed Fernando Alonso and fifth-placed Charles Leclerc.
While Piastri was not able to match Norris, the Australian performed extremely well considering he was just a rookie. The 22-year-old finished ninth in the standings with 97 points and also registered a couple of podiums to his name.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Piastri’s campaign was that he managed to win a sprint, something even Norris has not managed to achieve despite competing in F1 for five seasons now. Considering the talent that Russell, Norris, and Piastri have shown, it will not be a surprise if any of them will win a world championship in the future.
