Hamilton "not an easy teammate", says Alonso
Nico Rosberg cannot afford any mistakes this season if he is to beat Lewis Hamilton in the championship this year, reckons Fernando Alonso, who labelled the Briton as "not an easy teammate".
Rosberg lost the championship lead to Hamilton in the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend, the German having led from the start of the season in Australia.
The world champion now leads the standings by six points from his Mercedes teammate.
Alonso believes Hamilton, who has won five of the last six races, is now favourite for the title.
"Hamilton is in a good position," Alonso told Spanish radio COPE in an interview.
"He has the momentum coming from behind and in this sport, when you are coming from behind and you can catch the leader, you have something extra.
"And it's the opposite for the driver who was leading and had a bit advantage: they catch you, they overtake you and you go into a mini crisis.
"So even though they are close on points, now Hamilton looks stronger and a better contender."
Qualifying controversy
Alonso also said the Hungarian GP qualifying controversy reminded him of his own row with Hamilton at the Hungaroring back in 2007, when they were teammates at McLaren.
Back then Alonso was penalised for having blocked Hamilton in the pits, forcing the Briton to miss his final flying lap.
As a result, Alonso lost pole position, which went to Hamilton.
On Saturday, Rosberg secured pole despite setting his fastest lap with yellow flags on track, and there were suggestions that Hamilton had been in contact with the FIA, which announced an investigation three hours after the end of qualifying.
Hamilton denied triggering the investigation, however.
For his part, Alonso admitted the situation brought memories of 2007.
"Yeah, it reminds me of things as well," said Alonso. "Let's say Rosberg doesn't have an easy teammate.
"In that sense he's very strong on track, very fast, he never makes a mistake.
"And off the track he has significant influence. Good luck to Rosberg with that (laughs).
"He can't make a mistake anywhere because apart from being one of the best in the world, he can feel the pressure off the track as well."
Additional reporting by Jose Carlos de Celis
Don’t miss our German GP video preview…
Share Or Save This Story
Alpine becomes Pramac's main partner in MotoGP
Liberty Media's $4bn MotoGP deal facing EU probe
Ocon wants answers to understand pace slump against Alpine team-mate
"It's a business" – Lando Norris explains why drivers don't have more say in F1's rules
Lewis Hamilton and Franco Colapinto share “wholesome” moment after Miami GP contact: “Good sportsmanship”
Why some F1 team bosses think drivers shouldn't have a say in the rules
Zak Brown takes FIA fight over Mercedes-Alpine F1 talks public
Kimi Antonelli earns praise from former F1 driver after Miami GP battle with Lando Norris
'Antonelli and Sinner, Sinner and Antonelli' - Italy should handle its latest sporting hero with care
2026 MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix – How to watch, session times & more
How to watch NASCAR All-Star weekend at Dover
What to watch out for at the 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours
Indy 500 Day 3 practice results: Pato O'Ward leads at 227.308mph
Exclusive: How Red Bull and Ford managed to build a competitive F1 engine straight away
Five times F1 drivers starred at the Nurburgring
The paradox of change as F1 2027 decision nears
Top 10 F1 drivers of the 1950s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments