Before Their Infamous Rivalry, Rookie Lewis Hamilton Was Left Starstruck by a Humble Fernando Alonso: “I Was Really Surprised”

The shenanigans of a tough battle at McLaren had begun before the first lap of the 2007 season was run. GP2 champion and rookie Lewis Hamilton was set to debut alongside the reigning world champion Fernando Alonso. But that was not their first meeting as Lewis himself revealed in Melbourne back then.

Lewis Hamilton was competing for the GP2 title in 2006 when Alonso was chasing his 2nd F1 championship. Both of their paths converged at McLaren in 2007 when they became teammates. Fernando after securing his 2nd title at Renault moved to Woking.

At the 2007 season opener in Australia, Hamilton spoke about Fernando Alonso and how their first meeting happened. He said, “Well, the first time that we met was last year [2006] in Turkey. I was in the hotel and he [Fernando Alonso] was having dinner in the restaurant and so was I with my dad.”

Lewis added how Alonso came over to him in a quite humble manner. He said, “And he had finished dinner and he came over and introduced himself. And I was really surprised, I was taken aback. ‘Wow, the World champion is recognizing me’ and came over to say Hello.”

The British driver described Fernando as having a similar personality to him. He addressed how they both like to stay relaxed and away from all the attention from the media. Lewis pointed out how Alonso loves to race and they share that in common.

Read More: “Fernando’s Always There, He’s Always…”: Former F1 Champion Once Picked Alonso Over Lewis Hamilton as the “Bigger” Teammate

Lewis surely would have seen beyond the down-to-earth behavior of Alonso as the season progressed in 2007. The several mind games and controversial battles between the duo have become fables of teammate rivalries.

The Bittersweet Rivalry of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso

From tussling into Turn 1 at Albert Park to staunch defensive driving in Budapest, Fernando Alonso may have had all sorts of moments with Lewis Hamilton over the years. Yet it all narrows down to that rookie season of Lewis when matched Fernando wheel-to-wheel.

Alonso knew the manner in which Hamilton fought with him in the Australian GP in 2007, Lewis was not making life easy for him. Thus he may have also decided to take the battle head-on going ahead.

It was all about the McLaren duo in that season as they traded wins and podiums despite Kimi Raikkonen winning the first race. Then the boiling point of their rivalry came in Hungary when the Spaniard blocked Lewis in the pits during qualifying.

This denied Lewis a pole at the Hungaroring, yet he won the race taking his 3rd win of the season. About 14 years later, the duo tussled again in Budapest, but this time in an old-school racing battle.

Fernando defended his position like a lion to a charging Lewis in the 2021 race in Hungary. Even though he lost the position, his defense for a few laps potentially helped his teammate Esteban Ocon clinch a win that afternoon.

Watch This Story: All the drama from the Hungarian GP as Ocon holds off Hamilton for Maiden F1 win

The bond between Alonso and Hamilton might have come full circle in the last 15 years. From bitter rivals to respectful mates, these two have given us some classic moments of ruthless F1 action. What is your favorite Fernando-Lewis racing moment?