Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso seemed to have settled their rivalry on a high note after the Australian Grand Prix, with both drivers sharing praises for each other in the press conference. The race saw Hamilton holding off Alonso for the second position while Max Verstappen took the win.
During the race, Sky F1 initially suggested that Hamilton had said over team radio, “There’s no way I’m losing to him,” possibly referring to Alonso. However, a closer listen to the radio communications between Hamilton and his engineer Pete Bonnington revealed no such message. The exchange was mainly focused on the gap between the two drivers and technical aspects of Hamilton’s car.
Alonso and Hamilton’s rivalry dates back to 2007 when they were teammates at McLaren. It has since included numerous on-track incidents and public exchanges. Most recently, ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Alonso downplayed Hamilton’s championship victories and suggested that the British driver has weaknesses when not in a dominant car.
Despite their history, the pair seemed to be on good terms after the race in Melbourne. Alonso praised Hamilton’s performance under pressure, saying, “In terms of pace, we were very close to Lewis, also through the race – but every time that I tried to get close, yes, he seemed to pick up the pace. I tried to put some pressure, but he had an incredible race, no mistakes at all, as you probably expect from him, a champion.”
In other news, Fernando Alonso announced his break-up with girlfriend Andrea Schlager, an Austrian sports journalist. The couple shared a heartfelt message on social media, stating that they had ended their relationship but would continue to work together on various projects with “deep love and respect for each other.