Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are the aged veterans of Formula 1 and operate as wily old foxes at the ages of 39 and 42 respectively. While many would expect either of these drivers to retire and stop racing, both world champions are hungry to win races and even increase their championship tally. Amidst that, their 17-year-old fierce rivalry often resurfaces every now and then. However, both of them have gotten used to that tension and race each other with respect.
So much so that Hamilton and Alonso have competed against each other in more than 300 races since the former’s debut in 2007. No two other drivers have raced against each other for so long.
The seven-time champion has had several other rivals in F1 like Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg, and their rivalries have been intense and competitive. Likewise, the Spaniard’s list of nemeses is not short either. But, what Hamilton encounters with Alonso is unparalleled, just as their record of racing together for 300+ races.
The next best tussle on this list is Vettel vs. Hamilton, two rivals who raced each other in 298 races. Given how both drivers debuted at a similar time in 2007, the math checks out. Meanwhile, Alonso and Raikkonen are the third-best pair in this list with 291 races competing among them.
Now that Vettel and Raikkonen have retired, it just leaves the former McLaren teammates to extend their mind-boggling feat even further. And it is quite possible they race together for 50 more races at least, with both Alonso and Hamilton signing multi-year deals.
The Mercedes driver is jumping ship to Ferrari for 2025 on a reported 2+1 year deal, which keeps him in F1 at least until the end of 2026. Meanwhile, Alonso also signed a similar contract extension with Aston Martin. If both of their teams can fight at a similar performance level for the next two seasons, these additional races of the Hamilton-Alonso could reignite their old flames of 2007.
Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso shared a fierce rivalry in 2007
No other teammate of Fernando Alonso has perhaps taken the Spaniard to the limit as Lewis Hamilton did back in 2007. Despite it being his rookie year, the Briton registered multiple race wins and also challenged his double-world-champion teammate for the title, which Kimi Raikkonen ultimately won.
Since Alonso felt rattled by Hamilton’s rise, things got out of hand between the two as multiple scrimmages took place. What made their rivalry even more fierce and bitter was McLaren’s reluctance to manage the situation well, according to Alonso.
In his recent interviews, the 42-year-old has explained how both Hamilton and him were very young back then and were not mature enough to work together. Therefore, Alonso believes it was McLaren and Ron Dennis’ fault for not managing the situation.
Ultimately, Alonso decided to leave McLaren after just one season and returned to Renault in 2008. Hamilton, on the other hand, stayed with the Woking-based outfit and won his maiden title in 2008.
The Briton then added six more championships to his name with Mercedes and the rest is history. However, even though Alonso could not win as many titles as Hamilton, the 39-year-old still holds his former McLaren teammate in high regard.
Hamilton is well aware of Alonso’s brilliance and how the two-time champion perhaps should have won more titles if he found himself in the right team at the right time. Similarly to the Briton, Alonso has also repeatedly praised the seven-time world champion and explained how he is arguably the greatest driver in F1 history.