Pedro de la Rosa, a former McLaren test driver, has recently commented on the historic rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso during their 2007 Formula 1 season together. De la Rosa stated that Fernando Alonso had the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix ‘100% won’ against his then-rookie teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Alonso joined McLaren in 2007 as a reigning two-time world champion, partnering with the debutant Hamilton. Expectations were that Alonso would hold a clear advantage, but Hamilton quickly proved to be a formidable competitor.
Heading into the Monaco Grand Prix that season, Hamilton led the drivers’ championship by two points, with Alonso starting from pole position. Hamilton finished second in the race, but later expressed frustration, claiming team orders had prevented him from challenging Alonso for the win.
De la Rosa, who was McLaren’s test driver at the time, indicated that Hamilton’s perception of closing the gap to Alonso during the Monaco race was inaccurate. He asserted that any reduction in distance was due to Alonso managing his pace.
The internal team dynamic further deteriorated at the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying. Alonso received a five-place grid penalty for impeding Hamilton in the pit lane, which prevented Hamilton from completing a final qualifying lap.
McLaren was also penalised, losing all constructors’ points for the Hungarian Grand Prix due to the incident. This event highlighted the escalating tensions between the two drivers and the team management.
Alonso reportedly felt that Hamilton was receiving preferential treatment within the British team. He even demanded that Hamilton be denied access to his telemetry data, a request that McLaren refused.
The intense rivalry ultimately contributed to both drivers finishing the 2007 season level on 109 points, one point behind Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen, who secured the World Drivers’ Championship. McLaren was subsequently disqualified from the Constructors’ Championship due to an espionage controversy.
Despite the contentious nature of their partnership, de la Rosa has previously described the Hamilton-Alonso pairing as potentially the strongest in Formula 1 history. He noted their exceptional talent and speed, despite the internal team challenges.
