Fans Call Fernando Alonso ‘Jealous’ After He Praises Max Verstappen for ‘Tougher’ Title Wins

When it comes to dominant eras in F1, the first name that comes to mind for many fans today is Lewis Hamilton, who claimed six world titles between 2014 and 2020, breaking nearly every record in the sport. But that doesn’t mean others haven’t enjoyed periods of supremacy.

Before Hamilton, there was Sebastian Vettel, who secured four consecutive titles from 2010 to 2013. And after Hamilton, Max Verstappen took over—ushering in a new era that remains unchallenged. It’s this ongoing dominance that Fernando Alonso chose to highlight, even over the achievements of past legends.

“The championships that Max has won so far, apart from 2023, they were in a more fighting way than the last two era of champions,” Alonso said in a recent interview, taking a subtle dig at Hamilton, and perhaps, Vettel.

Admittedly, Verstappen’s title wins haven’t come easy. In 2021, he beat Hamilton on the final lap of the final race of the season. In 2022, he had to fend off the  Ferraris during the first half of the year, and in 2024, he faced a strong challenge from McLaren in the latter stages. But does that diminish the hard work put in by the other legends in the conversation? Fans certainly don’t think so.

Many have criticized Alonso for being jealous of long-time rival Hamilton’s achievements. Even some of his supporters believe that the 43-year-old should simply take accountability for the career decisions that have limited him to just two world titles—instead of throwing shade at those who’ve achieved more.

“I used to really respect Alonso big fan of him during 2008-2018. Now he just trying to take little digs at Hamilton for something that happened nearly 20 years ago,” wrote one fan on X (formerly Twitter). “Move on. Don’t blame Hamilton because u chose to go to McLaren in 2015 and it still has an effect today“.

Another fan, who took a more direct route, simply wrote, “Alonso is just jealous a*“.

“He still holds a grudge after all these years. He can’t accept when LH was a rookie, he beat him fair and square, so has to belittle LH achievements,” another passionate fan added.

Alonso’s rivalry with Hamilton dates back to the 2007 season, when the Briton made his Formula 1 debut.

At the time, Alonso was the reigning two-time world champion, having joined McLaren with hopes of adding more titles to his name. But he hadn’t anticipated that a rookie teammate like Hamilton would take the grid by storm and make life so difficult for him.

What followed was an intense on-track rivalry that ultimately saw neither of them win the title, with both finishing level on points. Since then, although they haven’t directly fought for the same prize in F1, Alonso has rarely missed a chance to take a shot at Hamilton.

Alonso’s past digs at Hamilton

After Hamilton dominated the turbo-hybrid era (2014–2021) with Mercedes, Alonso—rather than acknowledging his greatness—insisted that the Stevenage-born driver’s success was down to a “change in regulations.”

“I think this is something that is always said about drivers ‘building’ team, but when Lewis went to Mercedes, he didn’t ‘build’ anything,” Alonso had said in 2023. “It was just a change in regulations [in 2014] that built everything for him“.

Seems harsh, doesn’t it? Especially considering Hamilton is statistically the most successful driver in F1 history. For Alonso, however, “Ultimately, you just need to be in the right place at the right moment.”

Alonso has often said that he would’ve achieved far more had he made better career choices. And while that may well be true, it still feels unfair for him to downplay Hamilton’s achievements.

Back in 2022, after the Spaniard claimed Verstappen’s titles were more valuable because Hamilton had “only beaten his teammate,” the Briton responded with a subtle but powerful clapback—posting a photo of himself on the podium with Alonso behind him.

Not that Alonso learned his lesson. He continues to undermine Hamilton’s achievements even today, as evidenced by his recent comments.