Formula 1 News

Lewis Hamilton upcoming biography “My Story”, relationship with Alonso 

The young Briton rookie, reveals in his upcoming biography “Lewis Hamilton: My Story“ that the breakdown of the relationship between McLaren’s drivers in 2007 was a gradual process. In an extract published by The Sun newspaper, the 22 year old McLaren driver said Fernando Alonso introduced himself to Hamilton and his father in a hotel in Turkey late last year.

“He came by and said: ‘Hello, I’m Fernando’,” Hamilton, then a GP2 driver, said. “He was the world champion, he was fighting to win the title for a second time. It really surprised me he had the time to say hello. I was quite impressed with that.”

But the Briton speculates that Alonso, months later, took exception to being pushed so hard at McLaren by a rookie. “I like and admire Fernando, so I was sad and disappointed that, for whatever reason, our relationship did not improve,” he added. “But it was not for lack of trying.”

Hamilton said Alonso also failed to ‘build any bond’ with his colleagues, beginning with failing to turn up for a pre-season team training week. “I thought Fernando would be the one trying to set me an example and show me what to do, not the other way around,” he continued. He said team boss Ron Dennis encouraged Hamilton to try ‘extra hard’ to make the Spaniard feel welcome. “Fernando is very quiet,” Hamilton said, revealing that he tried building their relationship by playing computer games in Alonso’s motor home room.

But by the US Grand Prix in June, Alonso had started to voice his suspicion that Dennis was favoring Hamilton. And Hamilton added: “After the French Grand Prix someone told me Fernando, who finished seventh, said he was happy the Ferrari had beaten me so I did not take maximum points.”

Their relationship then fully imploded in Hungary, when Hamilton refused a team instruction and Alonso famously got revenge by holding up his team-mate in a qualifying pit stop. “It was like my worst nightmare,” Hamilton said, insisting that he ‘did not want to fall out with Fernando’ as Alonso stopped talking to him. I think I am easy to get on with,” he argued. “I do not hold grudges but I felt that if he did not want to speak or to have a decent working relationship, that was up to him.”

In Turkey they met for peace talks, but Hamilton says he eventually tired of feeling like his efforts to improve their relationship were not being matched by Alonso. “In the end, I told Ron: ‘I tried to speak to him, but I am not going to go out of my way and defocus myself to make him happy. I’m going to focus on my dream’.”

“Then, at Spa-Francorchamps, Fernando ran me wide and off the circuit. From then on it was clear anything could happen. If he wanted to be as aggressive, so could I,” Hamilton said. He added: “It was not healthy, but I felt I could be strong and aggressive without taking any unnecessary risks. It was a real pity that things had come to this.”

“Lewis Hamilton: My Story“ book, published by HarperSport, will be released on Monday November 5th.