Fernando Alonso has made an astonishing declare that Max Verstappen’s two F1 titles imply greater than Lewis Hamilton’s seven world crowns.
It got here after Purple Bull have been slapped with a $10.5m advantageous and a discount in wind tunnel time for breaking the $206m price range cap in 2021 when Verstappen controversially beat Hamilton to the title.
Social media raged on the penalty, with Verstappen being labelled a “costcap champion” or just “costcappen”, because the FIA did not overturn the championship, regardless of the end result of the defining Abu Dhabi GP.
Alonso, who has a historical past of unhealthy blood with Hamilton following their bitter fallout as teammates at McLaren in 2008, mentioned: “I’ve loads of respect for Lewis, however nonetheless it’s completely different once you win seven world titles once you solely needed to combat together with your teammate.
“Then I feel a championship has much less worth than when you might have fewer titles however have needed to combat in opposition to different drivers with equal and even higher materials.
“In 2005 and 2006, I had a very good begin to the yr myself and was capable of create a lead. Then others might need had a greater automobile, however I used to be capable of handle that hole.
“I by no means needed to combat with my teammate to win these titles. Nor did I see Max preventing with [Sergio] Perez or [Alex] Albon to win races.
“However Schumacher specifically fought together with his teammate to change into champion 5 occasions in a row and Hamilton fought with Rosberg and [Valtteri] Bottas. That’s completely different, I feel.
“I need to combat with one of the best drivers and Max is a part of that. I’ve been fortunate sufficient to combat with Sebastian Vettel, Lewis and Michael Schumacher prior to now, however I’ve by no means had that likelihood with Max.
“Hopefully that can nonetheless occur within the coming years once I drive for Aston Martin.”
Purple Bull boss Christian Horner mentioned on Friday that whereas his group accepted the phrases of their price cap breach, he was adamant the overspend wouldn’t have elevated his group’s automobiles’ efficiency.
Horner additionally mentioned he felt the advantageous and wind tunnel discount was “draconian”, as it might cut back his automobiles’ efficiency by half a second over a lap.
Nonetheless, Mercedes trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, hit again forward of Sunday’s Mexico GP, saying: “The size of that penalty isn’t way more than what you’d lose in case you are only one place increased up within the championship.
“It’s not as large because the penalty in case you are positioned two locations increased. So I feel describing it as draconian is an exaggeration.
“You positively have to be extra environment friendly but when it have been half a second, which I’d heard talked about, then a group in the back of the grid would have over a three-second benefit to 1 on the entrance and that merely isn’t the case.”
Initially revealed as F1 Mexico Grand Prix 2022: Begin time in Australia, beginning grid, Daniel Ricciardo place
