Alonso: 'Hamilton owes more to Mercedes than the other way around'

Lewis Hamilton is seen as one of the best drivers Formula 1 has ever seen and that's not surprising, with seven world titles in his pocket. Nevertheless, Fernando Alonso thinks that the Briton owes more to Mercedes than the other way around.

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are no strangers to each other. In his debut season, Hamilton joined McLaren right next to the Spaniard, with the necessary internal battles with the team. In the following seasons, the two have often run into each other on the tarmac.

The Spaniard knows the qualities of Hamilton, but also knows how Formula 1 works. "Hamilton owes more to Mercedes than Mercedes owes to Hamilton. There is no dominance if you don't have a winning car. When you win a series of titles, it means that you have great technical superiority", says Alonso in an interview with Corriere Della Sera.

Champion in 2005, 2006 and...?

The experienced driver has seen it happen not only with Hamilton, but also with other drivers in the sport. Including someone he knows very well. "It happened to Hamilton. It happened to Sebastian Vettel when he won with Red Bull Racing and couldn't win after that. The same thing happened to me with Renault in 2005 and 2006".

Alonso doesn't think that Alpine Racing F1, the new name for Renault from next season, can fight for the title in 2021. But he does want to take the team to the next level. "Renault will have three podiums in 2020. I want to improve that number. For one year. After that, a lot more," concludes the two-time world champion.