Hamilton vs Alonso: Formula 1's oldest existing rivalry

Lewis Hamilton has won seven world titles while Alonso has won only twice.

In what is the longest Formula 1 career of all time, Fernando Alonso has rivalled some of the greatest of all. Making his debut in 2001, he rivalled the likes of Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton over the years. His longevity saw him racing from the Schumacher era to the Verstappen era.

But of all, Hamilton has been his rival for the longest time.

Flashpoint: 2007

Heading into 2007, Alonso had won two consecutive titles in two years. While the Spaniard was winning titles, the young Lewis Hamilton was in GP2. Coming up from the McLaren-Mercedes setup, he was signed up for 2007 by the Formula 1 side. He would be partnering with the double-defending champion Fernando Alonso.

That year, McLaren was the front-runners alongside Ferrari. Since Race 1, Hamilton went strength to strength with Alonso. In the second race of the season, McLaren secured a 1-2 in Malaysia, with Alonso emerging as the race winner. The same happened in Monaco where the duo lapped the entire field except narrowing missing out Felipe Massa.

After five podiums in five races, Hamilton finally got his first race victory in the Canadian Grand Prix. In the following race, United States Grand Prix, he won again, with Alonso finishing P2 behind him. Things then started getting tense in the garage. Like any other world champion, Alonso didn't like getting defeated by his teammate, that too a rookie.

In the qualifying in Hungary, Alonso blocked Hamilton in the pit lane. As both the McLaren's were fighting for the pole, Alonso stalled him for just enough time that Lewis didn't get the final run. However, despite getting the pole, Alonso was demoted by a 5-place grid and Hamilton got the pole. He eventually won the race.

They fought furiously and vied for the title, producing numeral moments to look back to. However, Kimi Räikkönen stole it from both of them and won the title in the last race by one point.

At the end of the season, Alonso left McLaren-Mercedes and went back to Renault. While Hamilton stayed on. In 2008, Hamilton edged Felipe Massa by one point in the last lap and won his first of many championship titles. While Alonso remained sixth in an incompetent Renault.

2010-2013: Different cars, different pictures, top-tier Fernando

The duo didn't get to rival each other on a frequent basis since then. Moving to Ferrari in 2010, Alonso finally had another chance to put himself up for the title fight. The 25-18-15 points format was introduced for the first time that year. Despite that, only 16 points separated the top four. The race went down to the last lap of Abu Dhabi and Vettel won his first championship.

Alonso ended up four points too short. While Hamilton completed the season with 240 points, 12 behind Alonso.

Alonso once again failed to touch the title in 2012 when Vettel just ended up three points ahead of him. Alonso finally moved on to McLaren in 2015. But his stint at Ferrari goes down in history. What makes it the most magical is that Ferrari wasn't supposed to be that high. Despite McLaren being a much more competitive car, Alonso beat Hamilton every single year from 2010 to 2013. However, the bigger picture for the Spaniard was Vettel, not him.

Hamilton's dominance era

With the assurance of Niki Lauda, Lewis Hamilton signed for the Silver Arrow Mercedes in 2013. There has been no stopping the Brit since then. But on the other side, things got opposite and terribly downhill for Alonso. He went back to McLaren in 2015. While Hamilton was making record after record, Alonso could not catch a break from his troubles at McLaren. He eventually retired from Formula 1 in 2018.

Brimming with sportsmanship, Hamilton and Vettel celebrated Alonso's spectacular career with a donut show in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Producing one of the most iconic and wholesome racing photographs of all time.

Alonso's F1 comeback: 2021

Touring the other aspects of Motorsports, Alonso went for the triple crown by winning the Indy 500. However, his engine said no. He made a comeback to Formula 1 in 2021. Renault was rebranded as Alpine that year. Alonso replaced the outgoing Daniel Ricciardo.

This was the year Red Bull was finally ready to put Verstappen in the title fight. While he and Hamilton fought for the title, Alonso weaved his magic in instances. The most famous of which came at the Hungaroring when he held off his eternal rival for around 10 laps to give his teammate Esteban Ocon his first-ever F1 win.

In a dramatic Hungary GP, Hamilton was on course to win the race. After a weird turn of events, it was somehow Ocon who was the front-runner. But given the sheer pace of Mercedes, Hamilton had a clear run to win the race. But Alonso defended with all his might and Hamilton remained around 2.74 seconds short of the victory.

The duo still battle it out on track. While a victory is lurking in Hamilton, Alonso has been a top five driver in a midfield car. Mercedes' woes have motivated Hamilton even more while Alonso has signed a multi-year deal with Aston Martin. Being 37 and 41 respectively, both Hamilton and Alonso are set to commit to a few more years of Formula 1 racing.