Alonso: "I don't know if there is enough appreciation for what Hamilton is doing"
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Lewis Hamilton has dominated Formula 1 for years and this season he has set his sights on his eighth world title. According to his critics, he owes this dominance mainly to the strong Mercedes, but according to Fernando Alonso Hamilton deserves much more recognition.
Deliver every weekend
Alonso acknowledges that Hamilton is in very good circumstances, but his performance should not be taken for granted as a result. "Whether he has the best car? Yes," Alonso admitted to the Spanish Marca. "But even with the best car, you have to deliver every weekend. Whether it's dry or raining or whatever. You have to perform when Red Bull has a good weekend and also on circuits where you are actually slower," Alonso explained.
No sympathy for critics
"It seems that at the moment he is experiencing the ideal moment of his driving skills and his role in the team," the Spanish driver continued. He, therefore, has no sympathy for critics who attribute Hamilton's performance only to his car. The Briton achieved his 100th pole position and 98th victory this weekend. "You can only achieve something like that if you perform at the top level. I don't know if there is enough appreciation for what he does."
Mercedes no longer as dominant
Between 2014 and 2020, Hamilton was beaten only once, in 2016 by teammate Nico Rosberg. This season, Hamilton looks set to battle it out for the world title with Max Verstappen. He has already won three of the four races. "That's down to him because Mercedes doesn't have the dominance they had three or four years ago when they won quite easily. The others are closer, but that doesn't seem to bother him."