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

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have been two of the fiercest competitors in the sport. The Spaniard was Hamilton’s first teammate in F1. Arguably, no one knows both these men better than Jenson Button, who has shared a garage with both drivers in his career. In an old interview, the Briton revealed which driver was more challenging to compete against in Formula 1.

Button became the first teammate to beat Hamilton in 2011 when he finished P2 and Lewis finished P5. Fast forward to 2015, he got a chance to partner with Alonso at McLaren. That very year, the Brit revealed what it was like racing against both Alonso and Hamilton.

Button said, “In a race? [Alonso is] a bigger challenge, a more consistent challenge. He’s always there. On some race days, Lewis was untouchable, on other race days it was like ‘where is he?’.” 

He further continued, “Lewis is a different driver now, more experienced, but Fernando’s always there, he’s always competitive. If he’s in front of you, you’re holding on. And if he’s behind you, he’s pushing you along.”

READ MORE: “Disappointed” Esteban Ocon Hits Back at Fernando Alonso for Unnecessarily Sour Criticism

Now, in 2022, Hamilton is statistically the most successful driver of the sport. He has gone on to win 7 world championships, 103 race wins, and broken multiple F1 records in the process.

Esteban Ocon expresses his delight in emulating Lewis Hamilton’s feat. against teammate Fernando Alonso

Alpine has had a stellar season and much of the credit goes to Esteban Ocon for producing strong performances all season. With this, Ocon finished the season ahead of the double world champion, like Lewis Hamilton did in 2007.

As reported by Motorsport, Ocon said, “It feels good to have beaten Alonso because he is a very fast driver. I had to raise my own level as much as possible. It’s satisfying that I beat him over this year”

He added, “There was no big difference and in qualifying, it made little difference, but in the race probably a bit more. Since I finished ahead of him in the Championship, that was probably in my favor”

Ocon finished the season in P8 in the WDC and scored 92 points. Alonso finished the championship behind his teammate in P9 with 81 points.

WATCH THIS STORY: 12-Year-Old Image of 2023 Aston Martin Lineup resurfaced on Fernando Alonso’s bizarre shift in F1  

Alonso will be looking forward to his new challenge with Aston Martin next season. The Spaniard will partner alongside Lance Stroll, while Ocon will team up with Pierre Gasly. Will Alonso enjoy his new spell with the Silverstone team?