F1 Rivalries: Lewis Hamilton’s Greatest Rivals in Grand Prix Racing

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Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes Content Pool

#1 Fernando Alonso-

Fernando Alonso stopping Lewis Hamilton in the pits at the 2007 Hungarian GP
Fernando Alonso stopping Lewis Hamilton in the pits at the 2007 Hungarian GP

Fernando Alonso vs Lewis Hamilton has become a rivalry for the ages. The British racer joined McLaren for his rookie year in Formula One and was paired up with the two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso. While most would have expected Lewis to slowly climb up the ranks, he immediately started challenged the more experienced El Nano from the get-go.

The rivalry came to a boil during the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix, when Hamilton refused to let Alonso through during qualifying, as McLaren had asked. Alonso then took his revenge by making the Briton wait in the pits for an extra few seconds to ensure that he missed having a go at a final quick lap.

It is fortuitous that Lewis won all of his four world championships when he was not fighting the Spanish driver directly. However, with McLaren terminating their contract with Honda as their engine supplier and starting anew with Renault engines, it can be hoped that these two might fight head to head again for a championship battle. Afterall, the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix acted as a tempting teaser for what might be if these two were in similarly designed cars again.

Video Qualifying Hungary 2007 ( Alonso blocking Hamilton)

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