Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton‘s relationship with each other has had its ups and downs. The man who called Lewis an “idiot” after the contact they had at the opening lap of the 2022 Belgian GP to called him an absolute champion after their battle in Albert Park this year. If you think this development is a recent one, I’ll take you back a decade to Nando’s Ferrari days to draw a comparison of this frenemy duo.

Fernando was primarily competing with Sebastian Vettel when the latter was dominating in his Red Bull. At that time, others like Lewis and Fernando in their not-so-fast cars nicked a GP win or two here and there from Milton Keynes. Talking to the media back then, Fernando, who has recently called Lewis a seven-time champion stroke of luck in the fastest car, had praised Lewis’ talent.

In an old interview from 2013, Fernando stated, “I think I know Lewis may be better than Sebastian. Being teammates in McLaren and racing maybe a couple of more years together. In those years I saw Lewis winning races with not maybe the best car I saw Lewis doing performance amazing performance. Sometimes he [didn’t have] a competitive car in the hand, these things at the moment we didn’t see with Sebastian.”

He further added, “They are two great champions. They are the two main rivals and they are the two most talented drivers in the grid now but I still miss this performance from Sebastian where maybe Red Bull is ready to do an eighth and seventh and when see Sebastian winning the race or the podium. That will put him on the same level of Lewis.”

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But why is this feeling like hypocrisy? It is because Nando recently stated something on the contrary about Hamilton’s records.

What did Fernando Alonso say about Lewis Hamilton?

Fernando Alonso stated that there hasn’t been much of an overlap in his career with Lewis. And this year is probably the first time since McLaren that the duo is racing in a similar-paced machine. Alonso stated that the two were within two seconds of each other in Australia and had a close fight. He also stated the fact that Lewis has been “lucky” to have gotten as many championships.

He said, “I still think he’s one of the best ever, but at the same time he’s been lucky or lucky enough to be in a dominant car for many years and when that happens, Schumacher won seven titles, Lewis won seven, [Max] Verstappen is on his way to his third, I won two. To be Champion you need the best car.”

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Between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, who do you think will finish higher up in the championship tally?