Despite Being Determined to Remain Unbiased, McLaren Boss Once Paid Lewis Hamilton $12,267,000 Less Than Fernando Alonso

Lewis Hamilton made his F1 debut in the year 2007, with McLaren. The British driver, in his first year in F1, got the better of his veteran teammate Fernando Alonso and the Spaniard was not happy with how things unfolded. A frustrated Alonso even suggested that the team was biased towards Hamilton. Then, to counter the allegations by Alonso, team principal Ron Dennis arrived with his defense, but according to Frank Worral’s book, there was a huge financial margin between them. In fact, the gap was as big as $12,267,000.

The 2007 title battle involving Hamilton and Alonso surprised the entire world. This was particularly because of the fact that Hamilton was a rookie. When the season finished, both of them were on equal 109 points. Kimi Raikkonen won the world championship, however, finishing a point ahead of both McLaren drivers.

Alonso did not expect Hamilton to be as strong as he was in just his debut campaign. Hence, the Oviedo-born driver took the issue up with his team. Furthermore, he also wanted Hamilton to play second-fiddle while he fought for the world championship.

McLaren boss’ dilemma caused the disparity

Then-McLaren boss Ron Dennis was in a huge dilemma because of the beforementioned situation. As there were constant complaints from Alonso about McLaren’s apparent bias towards Hamilton, Dennis increasingly uncomfortable regarding it.

Talking about this, Frank Worral, in his Lewis Hamilton: Triple World Champion book stated that Dennis at times gave the young British driver a hard time. Dennis was more of a father figure to Hamilton out of anyone else on the F1 grid.

Following this, Worral added that there was a huge difference in what Hamilton and Alonso earned. They got the same equipment, support and resources. Still, there was a huge disparity. The Spanish driver was paid about $12.7 million, while the Briton was paid around $433,000.

Fernando Alonso versus Lewis Hamilton now

Hamilton and Alonso’s rivalry started all the way from 2007 and is still talked about today. Alonso struggled to replicate his mid 2000s heroics whereas Hamilton went on to dominate the 2010s, winning six world championships.

Lewis Hamilton left McLaren to join Mercedes in 2013, where he remains to date. Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, is currently, driving for Aston Martin. They are two of the oldest drivers on the grid. Despite that, their wheel-to-wheel tussles still bring fans to their feet.

The duo has often fought for podiums this year and is currently positioned in P3 and P4 in the driver’s championship. Had there been no Red Bull, the F1 world could have had yet another title fight between Hamilton and Alonso.