Lewis Hamilton: ‘Lots of drivers at the front can’t compete with Alonso talent’

According to Lewis Hamilton, there are “a lot of drivers at the front” who cannot hold a candle to Fernando Alonso in terms of “pure talent”.

Hamilton made that bold claim after his former teammate extended his Formula 1 career with Aston Martin into F1 2027. The seven-time world champion conceded that Alonso cannot show his immense talents under the current circumstances, Aston Martin and Honda having suffered a troubled start to its alliance.

Lewis Hamilton endorses Fernando Alonso ‘pure talent’

The Spaniard’s Formula 1 future served as a major talking point throughout the summer.

While it was clear that Alonso’s Aston Martin alliance would continue, whether that would be at the wheel of its Formula 1 car, was not so apparent.

Alonso has consistently expressed concerns over the new engine formula introduced for F1 2026, which places a much heavier focus on electrical energy management.

Tweaks to the electrical versus internal combustion engine power are coming for F1 2027, but Alonso said his enjoyment of the sport was going to be the key factor in his decision.

The 45-year-old opted to continue with Aston Martin as part of an unchanged F1 2027 driver line-up alongside Lance Stroll.

Alonso’s former McLaren teammate Hamilton gave a ringing endorsement of his continued ability.

“To be honest, there are a lot of drivers at the front that can’t compete with Fernando, in pure talent,” Hamilton claimed when speaking with the media at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

“He’s just not able to show that at the moment.”

The two-time world champion still feels fast, and is hoping that the second year of the regulations will bring progress on the enjoyment aspect.

Another part of his decision to race on was giving Honda another chance, even if the competitiveness of its F1 2027 power unit remains a “question mark” at this stage.

“I have no guarantees that ’27 will be more fun, but it is a commitment that you have to make with yourself,” Alonso told PlanetF1.com and others.

“At the end of the day, I feel fast. I feel motivated. I feel that I’m enjoying what I’m doing. If I’m sitting at home watching TV, watching races, I will feel that I can do better than them.

“That’s what I felt in a way when I was away from F1 and I was watching races, and I was thinking, ‘Wow, that was not right.’ I was always feeling the fire inside of being there and try to do better.

“And I still feel it now. [While] I have that inside, I think it’s not time to stop.

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“The decision was more about the rules, how enjoyable is to drive these cars and these rules.

“I decided that maybe next year with the 60/40 and with the second year in the rules, maybe they decide a better compromise on that.

“And let’s do one more time. Let’s give another opportunity, especially on the power unit side. We started with the wrong foot, and it is a question mark what is going to happen next year. But I think they deserve another opportunity, and I feel fast.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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