When Fernando Alonso justified racial abuse towards Lewis Hamilton during their 2008 title fight

Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton were bitter rivals at McLaren where they competed as teammates.

When Fernando Alonso justified racial abuse towards Lewis Hamilton during their 2008 title fight

Lewis Hamilton & Fernando Alonso (Image via Sky Sports)

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso will go down in Formula 1 history as two of the most successful drivers to race in the sport. The former won seven F1 world championships, and the latter has achieved two world titles. While Alonso won his trophies with Renault, Lewis has won six with Mercedes. The Briton won his first championship in 2008 when he was at McLaren.

Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 career started when he got the drive for McLaren in 2007. During his debut season, Lewis was partnered up with Fernando Alonso. While the two seem like the best of friends today, this didn’t seem to be the case more than a decade ago. The teammate battles between them had reached a level where it was almost out of control and affected the team. However, Alonso left the team soon after that.

While the teammate rivalry did seem to be a bit concerning, the constant racial abuse that Lewis Hamilton received was yet another problem. During testing for the 2008 F1 season, F1’s only Black driver was racially abused by spectators who threw slurs. Also, some wore dark make-up, wigs, and T-shirts that said “Hamilton’s family.” This was highly offensive and inappropriate, and what Alonso did was just disappointing.

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Fernando Alonso stated that Lewis Hamilton’s comments led to the abuse he received

Fernando Alonso (Image via InsideSport.IN)
Fernando Alonso (Image via InsideSport.IN)

Lewis Hamilton had stated in an interview that Fernando Alonso showed him “just how not to behave as a world champion” when the two were teammates at McLaren. Fernando on the other hand, told Cadena Ser radio station that Hamilton had no right to say that, and these comments led to Lewis’s abuse. “The very next week they whistled him in Spain for saying that,” the Spaniard said. “That’s the other face of the situation. If you talk, it’s normal that they whistle,” he continued.

When it comes to the current situation, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are still competing on the F1 grid as rivals in 2023. While Lewis Hamilton is trying to bring back Mercedes to their championship-winning glory days, Alonso is on a roll. He has secured four podium finishes so far.

The Spaniard has single-handedly brought Aston Martin back from the bottom and is competing for podiums every race. It will be interesting to see how long both talented drivers will be able to compete in the pinnacle of motorsport.

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