Lewis Hamilton is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time and has shared some of the most intense rivalries with legendary drivers over the years. His most recent rivalry was with Max Verstappen, which turned out to be a fierce tussle for the world championship in 2021.
However, one could argue that Hamilton’s biggest-ever rivals in the sport were Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg. Alonso was Hamilton’s teammate when the latter made his debut in the sport with McLaren back in 2007. In just his first year, the Brit showed that he could match Alonso’s talent and in year two, he defeated the Spaniard to win his first title.
Lewis Hamilton was asked about Fernando Alonso’s recent comments about his championships 👍 pic.twitter.com/IzZOjlmCQd
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) October 31, 2022
Hamilton and Alonso were fierce rivals and did not get along well during their time as teammates. However, his rivalry with former best friend Nico Rosberg was way more intense. The two were very close as children who were growing up on the racing circuit, but all that changed when they made their way into the big stage.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s rivalry
Hamilton won the 2008 world championship with McLaren and spent a further four seasons in Surrey. After that, he decided to join Mercedes, a team that Rosberg was already driving for. Their first year together at Brackley was quiet, but when they became a top team in 2014, the relationship between them started to turn sour.
“Oh no…”
“Ohhh! Ohhhh!”The Barcelona crowd reacts to THAT crash 💥#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/WJ62NWVWaB
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 10, 2017
Hamilton won the 2014 and 2015 world championships, with Rosberg winning the 2016 title. During their three years together as teammates, they clashed multiple times on the track, and also exchanged verbal battles off it.
Immediately after winning the 2016 title, Rosberg announced his retirement from the sport. However, the animosity between them did not cool down, and to this date, they remain distant.
Also read: $50 Million Worth F1 Driver Claims Sebastian Vettel Made Him a Better Racer
Does Hamilton choose Rosberg or Alonso?
Hamilton was shooting a promotional video where the host was asking him to choose between two people/things. The 38-year-old chose Pele over Diego Maradona & Ayrton Senna over Michael Schumacher. After some similar questions, she asked Hamilton to choose between Alonso and Rosberg.
Even though Rosberg was once his best friend, the Brit went ahead with Alonso. One could say that keeping personal differences aside, Alonso’s career was far more legendary than Rosberg’s. The Oviedo-born driver is a 2-time world champion is considered by many to be one of the greatest racing drivers of all time.
