Long-standing rivals and once teammates, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, have been two of the greatest drivers in Formula 1’s history. They might not be best friends and just be more like acquaintances, yet they continue to hold mutual respect and admiration. They also happen to know a few peculiar habits about each other. This most recently came up as one of Hamilton’s habits was red-flagged by Fernando Alonso.
To verify this, we don’t have to look far from Alonso’s homeland, Spain, where an exciting anecdote involving Lewis Hamilton has come up. Among many other things and characteristics, the Mercedes driver is renowned for his kindness and gentle behavior during personal meetings. But Alonso, when he met Spanish commentator Antonio Lobato, gave him a heads-up before the latter was due to meet Hamilton.
What was the red flag? Lewis’s extremely tight and hard handshake. Recalling the incident involving the handshake with the Briton, Antonio, as quoted by Futbol Radio Formula, said, “I found out when I greeted him. Hamilton shakes your hand like there’s no tomorrow. Someone must have told him ‘when you squeeze someone’s hand you have to squeeze it hard’. Let’s see, a soft hand is very embarrassing, but breaking the bones of the hand is not cool at all.”
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So, if meeting Lewis Hamilton soon is on the cards for you and shaking hands is a part of it, you better carry some pain relievers for the aftermath. On a separate note, one does wonder how things would’ve been if, despite all the feuds, Hamilton and Alonso continued to work closely.
Fernando Alonso warns Lewis Hamilton and Co.
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Aston Martin has had an astonishingly good start to the season. They stand as the only team other than Red Bull to have a podium. Despite Lance Stroll’s DNF in Saudi Arabia, the Spaniard directly warned Mercedes and Ferrari. He revealed that the team plans to target top-5 finishes in the races.
As quoted by Mirror, he said, “We are starting both cars in the top five. We will try to finish both cars in the top five and keep accumulating points for the constructors’ championship. That’s the main goal for Aston Martin this year.”
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WATCH THIS STORY: Bromance moments between Max Verstappen & Lewis Hamilton
So far, Aston Martin stands as the second-fastest car on the grid, clearly ahead of Ferrari and Mercedes. With Alonso in their camp, the team has the added advantage of diverse experience. This ought to keep them finishing high weekend after weekend.