Lewis Hamilton discusses how the McLaren ‘battle’ triggered significant change.
Lewis Hamilton discusses how the McLaren ‘battle’ triggered significant change.
Lewis Hamilton has pondered on why “arguing” his corner at McLaren during his rookie Formula One season prepared him well for his future career. The current Ferrari driver revealed that he had to “fight” for parity with Fernando Alonso, which swung the tide early in his rookie season. He mentioned during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend that in 2007, it was normal for a team to run its two drivers with somewhat differing fuel loads in the final stage of qualifying. lap.
Observing that most teams must have alternated between which of their two drivers carried slightly more fuel during Q3, the 40-year-old stated that because Alonso was the reigning F1 drivers’ champion, he always received preferential treatment, leaving Hamilton with “at least” a tenth-of-a-second pace disadvantage over one lap.
However, following the fifth round of the season in Monaco, he struggled for his position. It allowed him to secure pole position at the following round at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where he went on to win his first grand prix.
It was also part of a run of nine-consecutive podium finishes to start his time in F1.
“Obviously, my grand prix win [in 2007] was pretty epic,” the seven-time F1 drivers’ champion told media including RacingNews365.
I was just talking to my engineers – we just watched the qualifying from 2007, or my lap, for example,
During the race, the two cars were regularly separated by only a few laps due to fuel refueling. One car would get the lighter gasoline, and I’m sure some teams switched it up. Fernando was the world champion, therefore he always got the lighter fuel. Until this race, I was frequently carrying at least a tenth of my gasoline when we entered qualifying. Hamilton explained how he achieved “equal opportunity” with Alonso and what it meant for him going forward. Later in the season, tensions between the two would reach a peak during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix. That was one of the flashpoints that not only resulted in Kimi Raikkonen stealing the 2007 drivers’ title from the pair.
Alonso would depart the Woking-based team at the end of 2007, returning to Renault, where he had won two driver.
“I remember arguing after Monaco that I wanted equal opportunity and equal chance, and they gave us equal fuel,” Hamilton,“Then I outqualified him and won the race.”</span> It was one of those situations when you had to heed to your instincts and fight for what you believe is right – and it was one of those high points for me.”
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