You come for the king, you best not miss.
Fernando Alonso unfortunately missed his mark on Sunday after throwing shade at seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.
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Hamilton sits atop the Formula 1 throne with Michael Schumacher. That accomplishment meant little to Alonso who raised eyebrows with a questionable statement.
In an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraff, Alonso said fighting against opponents and winning less titles is more worthy than only having to beat your teammate and winning more.
Mercedes dominated the Formula 1 paddock, winning seven straight drivers championships between 2014 and 2020 with Hamilton claiming six in that time frame.
“I also have a lot of respect for Lewis. However, it is different when you win seven world titles when you have only had to fight with your teammate.
“Then I think a championship has less value than when you have fewer titles, but against other drivers you have had to contend with equivalent or even better equipment.
“In 2005 and 2006, I had a good start to the year myself and was able to create a lead. Then others might have had a better car, but I was able to manage that gap.
“I never had to fight with my teammate to win those titles. Nor did I see Max fighting with (Sergio) Perez or (Alex) Albon to win races.
“But Schumacher in particular fought with his teammate to become champion five times in a row and Hamilton fought with Rosberg and (Valtteri) Bottas. That’s different, I think.”
Hamilton however was quick to remind the Spaniard the two once shared a garage during their time together at McLaren.
The British superstar tweeted an image of Hamilton standing atop the podium, with his right arm outstretched on the shoulder of Alonso.
At the time of writing the tweet has been retweeted over 30,000 times and received over 114,000 likes.
Alonso later clarified his remarks in a post on social media where he stated each title isn’t comparable to the next.
“And again … Please, all the titles are amazing, well deserved and inspiring. Incomparable to each other and let’s enjoy champions and legends of our current time. Tired of the continuous search for headlines. Let’s enjoy them,” he wrote.
But it was Hamilton’s tweet that sent Formula 1 fans into a spin as many lapped up the petty nature of it all.
The two had a famously frosty year together at McLaren, but have only grown to respect one another as they years have gone on.
“I remember the task of being alongside Fernando when I was 22,” Hamilton said to Sky Sports.
“I was so young mentally and of course, OK in terms of skill but it’s a lot of pressure to go against a great like him.
“So I would say out of pure pace I think … I always say (my toughest opponent) is Fernando and his ability.”
MEXICO GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING RESULT, GRID
1. Max Verstappen – 2. George Russell
3. Lewis Hamilton – 4. Sergio Perez
5. Carlos Sainz – 6. Valtteri Bottas
7. Charles Leclerc – 8. Lando Norris
9. Fernando Alonso – 10. Esteban Ocon
11. Daniel Ricciardo – 12. Zhou Guanyu
13. Yuki Tsunda – 14. Pierre Gasly
15. Mick Schumacher – 16. Sebastian Vettel
17. Alex Albon – 18. Nicholas Latifi
19. Kevin Magnussen – 20. Lance Stroll
The Mexico Grand Prix is set to go lights out on Monday morning with the race starting at 6:55am (AEDT).
