F1: Hamilton vs Alonso | A definitive comparison

Hamilton or Alonso? Fernando or Lewis? Who is better? What makes them a cut above the rest - the super-elite category of Formula 1 drivers? How does one compare the two best drivers of their generation? Statistics hide as much as they reveal, circumstances dictate as much as they facilitate. Sometimes one is driving at the wrong place, sometimes the other is at the wrong time.

There’s only one year (17 races) when they faced off in equal machinery and equal status. The opinion differs vastly as to who the favored driver (even if marginally) was at McLaren-Mercedes in 2007, but it most definitely was the rookie Lewis Hamilton as the championship rolled on. Fernando Alonso, the reigning and defending 2-time world champion felt slighted by the promised reneged by team principal Ron Dennis to give him the number 1 status in the quest for a third consecutive drivers' championship.

McLaren had the car and the driver to do it. The problem was they had 2 drivers who could do it. Dennis has always maintained that there should be no team orders and looked to bring the two best drivers available to the McLaren stable - viz Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in the late 80s. It took Dennis time to side with Senna too, as there was hardly anything to separate Senna and Prost. But he had a soft corner for him as he had for Hamilton.

The team-mate rivalry in 2007 drove a wedge in McLaren

In 2007, McLaren backed their British rookie over their Spanish champion. Alonso left for Renault in 2008 and the world couldn’t see more of the these extremely closely matched racers (mind you, not just drivers) ever face-off in equal, championship-winning machinery. That is a huge loss for the sport of Formula 1, but there couldn't be two roosters in a shed, or two Supermans in a phone booth. It happened with Prost. It repeated with Alonso.

Often Hamilton fans, vociferously and vituperatively and perhaps by sheer force of habit hark back to the battle of 2007. And the keyboard warriors are aplenty. They point out that Hamilton had the measure of Alonso, had him rattled enough to leave McLaren, that he finished ahead of him in standings, despite both finishing on 109 points - an excruciating and crucial point behind Kimi Raikkonen. Alonso backers counter that he was still able to achieve 109 points despite openly being raced against by his own team - even at the title-deciding Brazilian Grand Prix. Had McLaren backed him, he would have delivered the title for them, he believes as McLaren drivers nicked points off each other, benefiting a chasing Ferrari.

And so, how does one compare?

The only way left and surprisingly, seldom delved into, are their performances in the years when both had race-winning but non-championship winning cars to lap around. What do they achieve in a car that they know they have to out-drive and out-perform every time to have a shot of stepping on the top step of the podium.

The much loved Alonso with his famous Tifosi cam in Monza

How do they keep up the garage's morale and their own performances? That leaves us with a 5-year window of 2009-2013. The Red Bull era. When the Milton Keynes based team had the fastest car by quite a distance, designed by aero genius Adrian Newey around the comforts of their lead driver. In those testing times, Hamilton won races in each of the 5 years, and Alonso in 4, through their talent, a bit of luck, a splash of rain, and Michelin chef level skills - but applied at 330 kmph and 5G lateral forces. Here's how they compare.

2009

Lewis Hamilton came into the year as the defending world champion, but the 2009 rules overhaul meant that Brawn initially and later on Red Bull stole a march over the rest of the field. Halfway through the year, it was public knowledge that Alonso is going to Ferrari in 2010. Hamilton won in Hungary and then in Singapore, while Alonso tried hard to drag the Renault higher up the grid. Both convincingly trounced their teammates - Heikki Kovalainen, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Romain Grosjean and had set their targets for a title challenge for next year. They were seldom in a straight fight, but Lewis finished ahead; although he had more to lose as his crown went to Brawn's Jenson Button, who would be joining him at McLaren in 2010.

Races won: Hamilton 2 Alonso 0

Poles: Hamilton 4 Alonso 1

Podiums: Hamilton 5 Alonso 1

Championship Standing: Hamilton (49 points) 5th | Alonso (26 points) 9th

2010

Hamilton took the challenge of sharing the McLaren garage with defending champion Jenson Button quite well and finished ahead in points. He matured as a driver. There were stellar drives by Hamilton, regardless of the result. He was consistent, but the car wasn't. McLaren didn't have enough against Red Bull. Neither did Ferrari.

Alonso, ever the cunning fox, stole wins in Singapore and South Korea keeping faster cars behind him. Hamilton and Alonso both arrived at the season finale in Abu Dhabi with a chance of being crowned champions, but it was not to be for either of them. It went down as one of the best seasons of Formula 1 and the only reason that happened was that these two, and to an extent Jenson Button didn't allow the Red Bulls to pull away in their class of the field car.

Races won: Hamilton 3 Alonso 5

Poles: Hamilton 1 Alonso 2

Podiums: Hamilton 9 Alonso 10

Championship Standing: Hamilton (240 points) 4th | Alonso (252 points) 2nd

Hamilton takes in the applause after a brilliant win in Abu Dhabi

2011

In a season in which there was just one championship leader throughout the year (Sebastian Vettel), Hamilton and Alonso still held their own with the Spaniard winning at Silverstone and racking up 10 podiums in a sub-par Ferrari. Hamilton was the only non-Red Bull pole position holder and won in Shanghai, Nurburgring, and Abu Dhabi. However, he was particularly error-prone and his frequent crashes with Felipe Massa didn't go unnoticed. He was beaten by Jenson Button and Alonso by some distance in the championship standings. Button outdoing Hamilton was not an expected result while Alonso cemented his status in Ferrari as the man to deliver the championship if Maranello ever delivered the car. All through 2011, he overcame the ordinary qualifying Saturdays to bag a bunch of points on Sunday.

Races won: Hamilton 3 Alonso 1

Poles: Hamilton 1 Alonso 0

Podiums: Hamilton 6 Alonso 10

Championship Standing: Hamilton (227 points) 5th | Alonso (257 points) 4th

A A jubilant Alonso after winning starting from 11th on the grid — A jubilant Alonso after winning starting from 11th on the grid

2012

To think of a double world champion in a Ferrari being an underdog may be a bit of a stretch, but that’s how it was all year. It was Alonso's, focus, determination, and opportunism while handling the third or fourth fastest car on the grid that merits his status as the super elite. He drove the wheels off that red car. The respect that he gained across the paddock was as much for his perseverance as for his never giving up attitude. He fell short by 4 points of a truly stunning achievement, but his legend grew. Hamilton won more races, and he was better than the previous year, as he trumped Button again. However, the season belonged to the man from Oviedo.

The lifeless stare of Alonso, after missing out by 4 points

Races won: Hamilton 4 Alonso 3

Poles: Hamilton 7 Alonso 2

Podiums: Hamilton 7 Alonso 13

Championship Standing: Hamilton (190 points) 4th | Alonso (278 points) 2nd

2013

Hamilton switched over to Mercedes after snapping his 14-year relation with McLaren. He was driving the same engine, but with the works team now. It was a year of transition as new V6 turbo engines were due in 2014 and the sport was set for a reset. He compared well with childhood rival Nico Rosberg, was quick in qualifying, and won in Hungary. Post which, Sebastian Vettel went on a world record 9-race winning streak. Nobody stood a chance. The highlight of the season for Alonso was the home win in Barcelona starting from 5th on the grid, which is his 32nd and final win of his career.

Races won: Hamilton 1 Alonso 2

Poles: Hamilton 5 Alonso 0

Podiums: Hamilton 5 Alonso 9

Championship Standing: Hamilton 4th (189 points) | Alonso (242 points) 2nd

Overall Statistics: Lewis Hamilton vs Fernando Alonso 2009-2013

Races won: Hamilton 13, Alonso 11

Poles: Hamilton 18, Alonso 5

Podiums: Hamilton 32, Alonso 43

Points: Hamilton 895, Alonso 1055

Ahead in Championship Standing: Hamilton 2009 | Alonso 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

Hamilton and Alonso have the highest regard for each other

If Hamilton had reliability issues with his McLaren in 2010 and 2012, Alonso never had the quickest car to drive in any of these 5 years, despite driving for Renault and Ferrari. McLaren was the fastest car intermittently in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Alonso dragged a very sub-par Ferrari in every year since 2010. That he has had more podium and points than Hamilton during this time is a testament to his exceptionally quick starts, race craft, and consistency in face of unfavourable odds.

With some luck and sturdier machinery, Hamilton could have won the 2010 crown and in an ideal, perhaps parallel world, 2012 has only one rightful winner - in a season which in many experts' opinion is the best campaign that a driver has ever put together in pursuit of a title. Agonisingly, Alonso fell short by 4 points. That third crown, elusive - but not for the want of trying. Him and Ferrari had no business being in the title hunt with the fourth fastest car and an average starting position of fifth on the grid.

Rivals, racers, champions both - Alonso and Hamilton

Both Hamilton and Alonso are champions, not just because of the titles they won but for the drives they put in, when the car just wasn't there. When it refused to behave, they coaxed it, harangued it, squeezed and berated it to positions that have baffled their engineers and viewers. That is why as shown in the 5-year period, across these 94 Grands Prix, there's not much to choose, but an awful lot to analyse, rip, and pick apart. The narrative can be turned either ways. An innate, sub-conscious bias towards one exists.

Both have looked upto the late Ayrton Senna as idol and inspiration. Hamilton is more Senna-esque while Alonso hits that sweet spot between Senna and Prost like abilities.

Hamilton undoubtedly is the best qualifier in history, capable of nabbing pole positions even if it seems a few tenths away from possibility. However, looking at this a bit of information, Alonso was the best driver on the grid, followed by Hamilton. Closely. It is just the vagaries of this confounding, frequently nuts, consistently thrilling sport that they didn't win a world title between 2009-2013 despite driving brave and memorable campaigns that are a part of Formula 1 folklore. One can try, but even extreme stats can't quite capture genius at work everytime. Greatness is not subject to titles. And game recognises game. As Alonso does Hamilton, and vice versa.

Edited by Zaid Khan