Hamilton and Alonso clear the air
We know by now that Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are not the best of mates, but after the controversy at the European Grand Prix, Hamilton insists he and the Spaniard are “cool.”
In 2007, Alonso joined McLaren, where Hamilton made his debut in Formula One. Together as teammates they endured a fractious relationship, forcing Alonso to leave after only one season after he signed a three-year contract.
The world championship that year saw the two fighting to the very end at Interlagos, Brazil, but they squandered an unassailable points lead in the drivers’ standings, allowing Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen to beat both of them by a solitary point.
Hamilton overtook the safety car illegally during the European Grand Prix after Mark Webber’s spectacular crash, and while running in second, his race wasn’t affected, while Alonso, running in third, lost places and finished the race in eighth. It took the sport’s governing body, the FIA, 17 laps to give Hamilton a drive-through penalty, which was enough time for him to serve it and still come out in second position.
Alonso was fuming after the race, saying the FIA had manipulated the race and questioned the time it took them to give Hamilton the penalty. “It's a shame, not for us because this is racing, but for all the fans who came here to watch a manipulated race,” said Alonso after the race. He also said Hamilton disrespected the rules. “But here, when you do the normal thing, which is respecting the rules, you finish eighth, and the one who doesn't respect them finishes second,” he added after the grand prix.
When asked by journalists whether Alonso’s comments were just sour grapes, Hamilton answered yes.
Last week Alonso apologised for his remarks, saying he overreacted to the situation. Now, Hamilton, has said that he and Alonso get along fine. “We messaged the other day and things are cool. I messaged him to see how he was doing. He said everything's cool, that he knows how the racing world works and this is a tough year,” said Hamilton.
Hamilton and Alonso getting along fine. Really?
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