Alonso cites striking name as inspiration: "Motivates us all"

F1 News

Alonso sees Hamilton as inspiration
13 November 2023 at 10:35
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  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

Fernando Alonso sees his future at Aston Martin as a long-term project. He is happy at the Silverstone-based team, which he made clear in his furious reaction to rumours of a possible move to Red Bull Racing. Speaking to GQ Magazine, the 42-year-old Spaniard talks about a notable source of inspiration: his old rival Lewis Hamilton.

Alonso and Hamilton have never been the best of friends. One year as teammates at McLaren was enough to burst the bomb, but even today, the old rivals still clash occasionally on the track and off it. There are still the occasional stabs.

In terms of personality, Alonso and Hamilton are opposites of each other, but the persistent motivation of his old rival sees the Aston Martin driver as an inspiration. Yet the two drivers' situations have been completely different: where Hamilton drove for Mercedes for years, Alonso's timing was always wrong regarding his choices for Formula 1 teams.

Alonso was inspired by Hamilton

Would Hamilton still be as motivated if he had been with similar cars to Alonso, or might the 38-year-old Brit have quit too? "It’s difficult to say. We have different personalities and motivations," Alonso replied. "Lewis always did really well to stay focused and competitive in the periods of his life when he didn’t have a competitive package. Those periods weren’t many, but he was always performing to a high level."

Currently, however, Hamilton is experiencing first-hand what it is like to drive a car that cannot compete for wins. "Now he’s not having the best car, Red Bull is dominating, but he’s still fighting always. He’s chasing Perez in P2, and he’s never giving up. It motivates all of us to see how Lewis keeps the motivation after winning so many titles," Alonso said.