Fernando Alonso has recently claimed that Lewis Hamilton “built nothing” at Mercedes, which might sit well fit many of the fans. The 38-year-old won six of his seven world championships with Mercedes and helped the side win a record eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships. Although Hamilton achieved such success, Alonso claimed in a recent interview with The Telegraph that the team deserves credit for his arch-rival’s success and not his former McLaren teammate.
Hamilton has undoubtedly achieved unparalleled success in F1 as he has won a record 103 races and finished on the podium a record 195 times. His last podium came at the British Grand Prix when he finished third earlier this year. Meanwhile, his last win came all the way back at the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP.
Alonso believes Hamilton only reaped the benefits of rule changes
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Fernando Alonso explained the reasons for Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s successes. The Spaniard believes that drivers are never the reason for their successes.
Instead, he believes the drivers’ success depends entirely on how well the team can take advantage of a regulation change. After stating the same, he gave the example of Hamilton and pointed out how the 38-year-old built “nothing.”
“It is something that is often said that there are drivers who build winning teams. But when Lewis came to Mercedes in 2013, he built nothing. He simply took advantage of a rule change the following year. Everything was built with that in mind,” Alonso explained.
Fernando Alonso on Lewis Hamilton’s new contract:
“If I were a team boss and had to choose between Hamilton or a promising F2 driver…
I’ll keep Hamilton until I’m 80 years old, until someone shows me he’s faster than Hamilton.” pic.twitter.com/4gKt416Jyk
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) August 31, 2023
The Aston Martin driver believes that the same was also the case with Verstappen. Alonso believes that even when the Dutchman moved from Toro Rosso to Red Bull, it was Hamilton who won everything.
The 42-year-old noted that Verstappen only began winning when there was a significant rule change following the conclusion of the 2021 season that Red Bull took the most advantage of by building a strong car. Hence, Alonso believes that drivers need to be at the right place and time to succeed.
Fernando Alonso has often made poor career choices
Even though Fernando Alonso is a double world champion and has won 32 races during his illustrious career, it is pertinent to note that he has not achieved any success since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix. Meanwhile, his last championship victory came all the way back in 2006 when he defeated the legendary Michael Schumacher for the title.
Alonso has found it difficult to replicate a similar level of success since that season in 2006, as he has often found himself at teams that have struggled to produce a quick enough car. From the 2010 to the 2014 season, Alonso found himself at Ferrari, which was constantly struggling to match the pace of Red Bull.
Soon after, the 42-year-old moved to McLaren, where he even struggled to score points for the team. Alonso’s frustrations at the Woking-based outfit grew to such an extent that he ended up retiring from the sport altogether following the conclusion of the 2018 season.
However, Alonso seems to have found hope once again following his move to Aston Martin this season. The Spaniard has already clinched seven podiums this season and now is just eagerly waiting for his opportunity to get an all-important win.
