Lewis Hamilton reveals how fighting Fernando Alonso for equal treatment at McLaren shaped his F1 career

Lewis Hamilton recently revealed that he demanded equal treatment from the McLaren team during his debut F1 season. The Briton was up against 2x world champion Fernando Alonso as his teammate. He explained how he asked his team for “equal opportunity” with regard to fuel loads.

Lewis Hamilton was reminiscing about his first Grand Prix victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve recently. Speaking to the media, the Briton highlighted a key detail about his first win at the Canadian GP back in 2007.

Hamilton shared that he would be carrying more fuel in his car than teammate Fernando Alonso during qualifying and the races. This was because F1 cars were refueled during this time, and teams did not want to double-stack in the pits. Hence, one car was fueled less than the other, to create a gap in when they would have to pit.

Hamilton believes that most teams were alternating between drivers to give one the better strategy every other week. But the Briton claims that this would not happen at McLaren, since Alonso was the world champion. But this changed when he demanded equal treatment in Canada.

“I remember arguing after Monaco that I wanted equal opportunity and equal chance, and they gave us equal fuel,” Hamilton said. [via RacingNews365]

“Then I out-qualified him and won the race. It was one of those moments where you really have to listen to your intuition and fight for what you feel is right – and that was one of those high moments for me,” he added.

Lewis Hamilton arrived like a storm on the F1 grid in 2007. He joined a front-running team and was competing for a championship in his debut season. He was also up against the reigning world champion at the time as his teammate. The rookie managed to finish the season as the runner-up, highlighting the potential he had. Hamilton then won the world championship in 2008.

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso’s rivalry

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are one of modern F1’s biggest rivalries. The pair have shared the grid for almost two decades now. But it all started in 2007.

As previously mentioned, Alonso was the reigning world champion, and Hamilton was the new kid on the block back then. But the Briton shook the whole grid when he matched and even bettered Alonso’s performances throughout the 2007 season.

They both ended the season with 109 points. Both drivers took points off each other, leading to Kimi Raikkonen winning the championship. There was turmoil and internal politics within the McLaren team, and Alonso left after just one season. This gave their rivalry a more personal angle.

In the years that followed, the pair were never in an intense championship battle against each other. Alonso struggled to even make it to the front of the grid in the years of Hamilton’s success with Mercedes.

Their rivalry has turned to one with more mutual respect than before in more recent years. Alonso has praised Hamilton’s achievements in F1. Hamilton has also recognized Alonso as one of the most skilled drivers he’s ever faced. But it is always fireworks when the two share the same piece of tarmac during races even today.