38-year-old Lewis Hamilton seemingly ended the age debate after he recently signed a two-year contract extension with Mercedes. Since the Briton took so long to sign a new deal, there were various rumors surrounding his future. Some reports suggested that the seven-time world champion may consider switching to rivals Ferrari. Meanwhile, some others also suggested that he may retire. With Hamilton having seemingly settled one debate now, another issue has been about his capability at the moment to beat Mercedes teammate George Russell. However, it seems that on this occasion, Hamilton also has Fernando Alonso’s help to settle this debate.
The concern of Hamilton perhaps not having enough to beat Russell at the moment began after the 25-year-old gave him a real shock in their first season as teammates last year when he defeated him in the championship. Russell finished fourth in the championship last season with 275 points and outscored Hamilton by 35 points.
However, with Hamilton having produced a comeback against Russell this season, Alonso does not see any reason to doubt this former McLaren teammate’s potential. The Spaniard explained in a recent interaction in Madrid how Hamilton is still giving it his all despite turning 38.
Alonso compares Hamilton’s performance to Russell’s this season
While speaking about Lewis Hamilton at a recent event in Madrid, Fernando Alonso said, “He’s (Hamilton’s) fast. And look, compare him with Russell, who’s also a great driver. In the end, Hamilton is having a better year. He has a lot more points than George, and he shows that he always gives his all on the track“.
Hamilton is currently fourth in the championship this season with 164 points and has scored 55 points more than Russell. While Alonso continues to have the highest amount of respect for Hamilton, it seems that the same is also the case the other way around.
Lewis Hamilton once named Fernando Alonso as his “toughest” F1 rival
While speaking in an interview with Sky Sports last season, Lewis Hamilton explained why he believes that Fernando Alonso has been his “toughest” rival in F1. The Briton believes that just the task of being teamed up with a double-world champion in his rookie season at McLaren back in 2007 was a very difficult challenge.
The Mercedes said, “I always say [my toughest opponent] is Fernando and his ability. We had some good battles. I wish we could have more, and hopefully he’s going to continue to race, so hopefully we will have more in the future“.
With Alonso currently having a contract until the conclusion of the 2025 season with Aston Martin, the two old rivals will at least be able to compete against each other till then.
