Fernando Alonso has welcomed Lewis Hamilton on board to retire together, despite all the differences. This comes right after the two Formula 1 veteran began to be podium regulars this season after a long time.
Talking to Daily Mail, Alonso said that it would be “great” if Hamilton and he finish their careers together. It’s something that the Spaniard would love. He then went on to describe the time they had together as teammates at McLaren back in 2007.
It was the same year when the British driver debuted in F1. Talking about this, the oldest driver on the grid said that they had a difficult year as teammates, but now respect each other for their individual achievements.
The Spanish driver who arrived from Renault in 2007, went on to say that the duo considered each other very talented drivers and one of the toughest rivals they have had.
Alonso slammed McLaren higher-ups for the sour relationship with Hamilton
Speaking of the 2007 rivalry, the former Ferrari star said that McLaren bosses, especially Ron Dennis, did not manage the situation well back then. Emphasizing their naivety and youthfulness, Alonso said that the board didn’t help them when they needed it the most.
The former Alpine driver, who’s now a changed person, also shared that they were “many things” back in 2007, which they are not right now. The two-time world champion also stated that he felt left out of the team, as he believed the team had their focus only on the seven-time world champion Hamilton.
The 2007 F1 season ended with both of them being on identical 109 points and four points each. But, interestingly, the championship that year was won by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen who pipped the McLaren duo by just one point.
Hamilton and Alonso’s year as teammates
The 2007 F1 world championship has been and will always be a fiercely competitive season. Thanks to the epic rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso as teammates.
It was the debut year for the Briton, who was joined by the two-time world champion Spaniard. Alonso arrived in the team fresh after ending Michael Schumacher’s dominance and won two back-to-back championships.
As the season went on, the competitiveness between them increased. At the time when it reached the boiling point, the 41-year-old decided to leave the team, while Hamilton stayed back with the Woking-based team.
