According to Fernando Alonso, the fact that Lewis Hamilton is struggling in 2022 shows that in Formula One it’s the car that counts above all else – At Mercedes, he’s still banking on the Brit
It’s been a difficult start to the 2022 Formula One season for Lewis Hamilton, who is used to success. Problems with the new W13 threw the seven-time world champion down the pecking order. His new teammate George Russell, unlike him, managed to finish all the races in the top 5.
In the world championship, Hamilton is already 64 points behind Red Bull rival Max Verstappen, with whom he was still battling for the title last year. “That’s the nature of the sport,” knows Fernando Alonso, who sees himself in a similar situation to Hamilton – in midfield, held back by an uncompetitive car.
“Sometimes you have a better car, sometimes not such a good car and you still have to fight and make progress. This year we see that the driver is very important in Formula 1, but not decisive,” the Spaniard tells the ‘BBC’.
Fernando Alonso: “Formula 1 is not a fair sport “
“Lewis is driving as well as he has done for the last eight years. He dominated the sport, broke all records and took over 100 pole positions. And now he’s driving a mega lap – or so he said himself in Australia – and he’s a second behind. So, yes – welcome to my world!”
Formula 1, he said, is just not a fair sport when it comes to pure numbers. “We sometimes put in magical laps and we were still only 15th, how do you explain that to people? It’s an impossibility. “
“It’s a team sport first and foremost,” Alonso insists, “and we often forget that, especially when we have success. We are so happy about it that even if we try to share it with the team, all the headlines belong to the driver.”
“That happened to me when I won the two championships. I beat Michael Schumacher,” he recalls. That, he says, was a big issue at the time. But Alonso stresses that he had the advantage in terms of reliability and performance of the car.
It comes down to “the best package, the best car “
“You can’t praise this package enough, but the headlines will still be about the driver. And it’s the same with Lewis,” the 40-year-old knows. To achieve more than 100 poles is “something unimaginable”. But you also have to have the best car and the best package “for many, many years”.
That’s not to deny Hamilton’s achievements. “He deserves everything he has achieved in the past,” Alonso said, “but this year is a good reminder that with all these records and numbers, a big part depends on what (technical) package you have at your disposal. “
Although Russell is currently ahead within the team, Alonso believes Hamilton will straighten out the balance of power as the season progresses. However, he is not really surprised by Russell’s strong debut at Mercedes.
“George has been very quick in previous years and I think everyone expected him to be a tough competitor for Lewis,” he admits. “But I still think Lewis will win the championship in the end.”
While the numbers are currently in Russell’s favour, that is only a snapshot, Alonso says. “We’ve only done six races so far. As soon as things get trickier or difficult situations arise, Lewis has more experience and maybe more talent to take advantage of,” he believes.
