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Former Lewis Hamilton Teammate Reveals How Fernando Alonso Trauma Forced McLaren to Sign Him

Somin Bhattacharjee
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Former Lewis Hamilton Teammate Reveals How Fernando Alonso Trauma Forced McLaren to Sign Him

Lewis Hamilton made his F1 debut back in 2007 with McLaren, and his teammate was the reigning two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso. Before his talent was displayed in front of the entire world, most people expected Hamilton to struggle behind a driver as good as Alonso. However, to everyone’s surprise, the Briton took the fight to his partner and challenged for the world championship in his rookie year.

Alonso and Hamilton developed a frosty relationship, the majority of which was due to Alonso’s allegations that the British team preferred Hamilton. In the end, after multiple off-track clashes within the team, both drivers finished level on points and the drivers’ championship was taken home by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

Alonso and McLaren soon parted ways, and Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen replaced him at the team. In a recent interview, Kovalainen explained the reason behind his appointment by the Woking-based outfit, and his talent was not the main reason. According to him, McLaren just wanted to sign someone who would be of no threat to Hamilton.

Also read: How different is Carlos Sainz’s driving style from his 2-time World Champion father?

McLaren wanted only Lewis Hamilton to fight for world championships

By the end of 2007, it was clear that Hamilton was the number one driver at McLaren. Alonso leaving Surrey to move back to Renault was a sign that the tide had turned at the team, and they wanted to focus only on Hamilton, and maximize his chances of winning the drivers’ championship.

Kovalainen said that McLaren needed someone to come to the team, who wouldn’t cause trouble like Alonso did. They did not want their management to get too involved, only because Alonso’s shenanigans during his rivalry with Hamilton in the previous year was exhausting for the team as a whole.

“I think that was one of the reasons why they hired me,” the 41-year-old said.

Also read: Dax Shepard Discusses What Makes Carlos Sainz a Great F1 Driver

Fernando Alonso’s team wasn’t happy with Kovalainen’ s appointment

Alonso was a very popular person at McLaren, in spite of the off-track drama. The team was essentially divided into two camps, with Alonso’s group being a particularly well-knit one. When the Oviedo-born driver decided to move away from McLaren and rejoin Renault, Kovalainen says that there were team members who weren’t happy.

“Fernando’s team is super tight and they’re a strong group of people. With how things went there, that was a sensitive area for McLaren,” he says.

After a great rookie year with McLaren, Hamilton went on to win the 2008 F1 world championship with them. He drove for the team until the 2012 season after which he joined Mercedes in a move that would reshape the history books for forever.

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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