Lewis Hamilton dominated the turbo-hybrid era in F1 with Mercedes between 2014 and 2021. The Briton won 6 of his championships, while Mercedes achieved 8 consecutive constructors’ championship wins.
Yet the Briton claims the RB19 is one of the fastest cars he has raced against. This comment comes after the Mercedes driver could not defend against Max Verstappen at the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP.
Hamilton is not alone, as teammate George Russell has claimed the Red Bull duo can win every race this season. While Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff believes the RB19 is in a league of his own.
“I know what a car need needs. I know what a car doesn’t need”
Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes did not listen to his concerns over their 2023 car 👇 pic.twitter.com/7RluF3OtDN
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 9, 2023
Mercedes have involved in the flattery of the Red Bull car. However, Fernando Alonso points out a key detail regarding the silver arrows’ domination so far and maybe suggests Hamilton must take a back seat.
Alonso disagrees with Lewis Hamilton on Red Bull’s prowess
While Lewis Hamilton feels there is no stopping Red Bull this season, Fernando Alonso believes otherwise. The Spaniard accepts that the RB19 is faster than the Aston Martin, but it’s too early in the season to predict.
However, the 2x champion took a dig at his old teammate and rival. Alonso chose to remind Hamilton that the gap between him and Red Bull is incomparable to what he and Rosberg achieved in 2014.
“That looked like F1 against F2.”
The difference in pace between Red Bull and Mercedes 😳 pic.twitter.com/mqO8e0s1qM
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) March 19, 2023
Alonso commented, “I don’t agree at all. Last week I finished 20 seconds behind Checo and Max. He and Rosberg were a minute ahead in 2014 and 2015.”
He believes the Mercedes driver is finally getting a taste of his own medicine. Alonso added, “He (Lewis Hamilton) has a short memory, he’s getting old!”
Alonso takes a dig at Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton has been struggling in the W14, while George Russell has managed to tame the car. The car is not suited to his driving style and lacks downforce while steering in corners.
The driver claimed he was on a “knife edge” while driving the car. However, Fernando Alonso claims Hamilton’s intuition is based on the fact that he has never driven an average midfield car until now.
Alonso claimed his former McLaren teammate has always won because of having a competitive car. He said, “With a normal car, you can see that he has weaknesses. Before, he drove alone or sometimes with his team-mate.”
When world champions collide 💥#BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/x0SL4PPG20
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 28, 2022
Alonso added, “But look, he is the record holder for poles and Russell has just given him a 2-0 in qualifying. It just goes to show how much the car is still a key factor.”
Previously Alonso criticized Hamilton after the two collided in the 2022 Belgian GP. The Spaniard called Hamilton an “idiot” and said he only knew how to start from the front. With Alonso bagging podiums and Hamilton struggling, we could see the start of a new chapter in their rivalry.
