By: CLAIRE COTTNGHAM
Fernando Alonso comes to Lewis Hamilton’s defence, saying the Briton doesn’t get enough praise for his F1 accomplishments.
Hamilton has worked his way up to become one of the most decorated drivers in F1 history, with seven-world titles to his name, the most pole positions ever and the most wins, after he surpassed Michael Schumacher’s record last year.
Alongside Mercedes, he has helped win seven Constructors’ and Drivers’ titles, six coming from Hamilton alone, however the Briton is constantly blighted by the accusation the achievements are down to the car, and not the driver.
Not helped by the Sakhir Grand Prix, in which George Russell deputised for Hamilton after he contracted COVID-19.
The 23-year-old gave team-mate Valtteri Bottas a run for his money in his first time out for the Silver Arrows, adding fuel to the car vs driver debate.
But Alonso believes, though some of it is down to the machinery beneath you, it doesn’t count for everything.
“Even with the best car, you have to deliver every weekend,” explained the Spaniard to Spanish publication Marca.
“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.
“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.”
Alonso wasn’t the first driver to come to Hamilton’s defence this season, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc having his say earlier in the year.
The Briton looks to overtake Schumacher again this season to grab his eighth world title alongside Mercedes, making him the best driver in Formula 1 history.
Hamilton leads the standings by 14 points ahead of Max Verstappen in the Red Bull as we head to the iconic streets of Monaco for round five of the championship.
Source: express.co.uk