FERNANDO ALONSO FORCED TO EAT OWN WORDS AFTER LEWIS HAMILTON HUMILIATION

Fernando Alonso has been forced to eat his own words thanks to an embarrassing stat involving Lewis Hamilton. Following Hamilton's bombshell decision to join Ferrari in 2025, the two-time F1 champion was immediately linked with the soon-to-be vacant seat.

Despite his age, 42, Alonso has lost none of his searing pace. However, the Spaniard's decision-making over the years hasn't been as razor-sharp as his driving. A decade ago, he left Ferrari for McLaren, whose reunion with engine supplier Honda was an unmitigated disaster.

He then quit F1 for two years just as the Woking squad was regaining competitiveness, initially with a Renault engine and then a Mercedes motor. Alonso returned to F1 with the Renault works team (now Alpine) before jumping ship to Aston Martin, where he had a largely strong 2023.

As he weighed up his future beyond 2024 earlier this season, Alonso was asked if he would be lobbying Mercedes, who endured a tough start to the year. "That's a very good question," he said after April's Japanese Grand Prix, where he beat both Mercedes cars, when asked if he'd be making a phone call to Silver Arrows boss Toto Wolff. "Mercedes is behind now, so it doesn't feel that attractive."

Shortly after that statement, Alonso committed his future to Aston by signing a new contract until the end of 2026. Meanwhile, Mercedes remain on the lookout for George Russell's next team-mate, with teenager Kimi Antonelli, currently in F2, most likely to get the nod.

A couple of months on, the F1 landscape looks very different. Like last year, Aston have gone backwards and are now the fifth fastest team at best, well behind a resurgent Mercedes, who are suddenly challenging Red Bull and McLaren for victories.

Hamilton finished third last time in Spain with Alonso not even in the points. In fact, the British driver has finished at least a lap ahead of his old rival in three of the last four races, with the pair's fortunes going in opposite directions.

After a disappointing home race in Barcelona, Alonso fired a curt message to the ambitious Aston team. As he readied himself for another tough weekend in Austria before the British Grand Prix on July 7, he said: "I think it's gonna be painful as well because it has some characteristics of Barcelona, with the long corners.

"It's going to be another tough weekend, also in Silverstone, arguably. We cannot get too frustrated. It's time to work harder, to talk less, to deliver more. It's what we want to do."

2024-06-27T05:26:14Z dg43tfdfdgfd