Hamilton left red-faced as Alonso names Schumacher his toughest rival

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Lewis Hamilton has been left somewhat red-faced by Fernando Alonso after the Spaniard snubbed him as his toughest-ever opponent in favour of Michael Schumacher. The Mercedes star has described his former McLaren team-mate as his strongest rival in the sport but the feeling does not appear to be shared by the Aston Martin man.

Hamilton and Alonso are widely considered to be two of the best Formula One drivers of all time and have had countless battles together on track. The two developed a bitter rivalry during the Brit’s first season in the sport as they went head-to-head for the title before they both lost out to Kimi Raikkonen in the final race of the year.

A healthy respect has grown between the two men in the years since but they remain fierce rivals on and off the track. The duo currently sit third and fourth in the drivers’ standings this year as they fight to be the best of the rest behind the Red Bull pairing of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

Now, it appears that Alonso does not rate Hamilton as highly as he rates him. In a recent interview, the Spaniard overlooked the 103-time race winner as his toughest-ever opponent in favour of Schumacher despite the Brit describing him as his toughest in the past. Alonso battled the German for his world titles and looks back on the time fondly.

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“It is difficult to pick one, because I think all of them were great rivals and very talented drivers as well,” Alonso told Bang & Olufsen when asked about his toughest opponent. “But because when I got into the sport, Michael Schumacher was dominating races and everything, that fight with him is still the one that I will always pick. Fighting with Michael was very special.”

Hamilton’s reason for picking Alonso is very similar to the Spaniard’s logic for choosing Schumacher. The 41-year-old had won two consecutive championships when the British driver entered the sport in 2007 and was tasked with going toe-to-toe with him for the title with the legendary German retiring for the first time at the end of the previous year.

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“I remember the task of being alongside Fernando when I was 22,” Hamilton recalled in July last year. “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.”

Hamilton and Alonso will go head-to-head on the track again in three weeks’ time as the Formula One circus rolls into Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

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