Lewis Hamilton has once again brought up his debut season in 2007, when he shared a garage with Fernando Alonso at McLaren. In an interview ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, the Briton stated that the team gave preferential treatment to the Spaniard. According to Hamilton, Alonso could choose his fuel load for qualifying and the race, while he had to work twice as hard to beat him. A statement that rekindles old tensions at the Woking-based team.
The Weight of Fuel in the 2007 Strategy ⛽
In that season, the amount of fuel was a key factor in race strategy. Teams decided the load for each driver, which directly influenced qualifying performance and race pace. Hamilton points out that Alonso was given the freedom to choose his fuel strategy, while he was assigned a fixed load. This difference, according to the Briton, forced him to develop a more aggressive driving style to compensate for a car that was not optimized for his style. Tire management and fuel consumption were therefore an extra challenge.
The Fuel of Discord 🔥
So, Hamilton not only had to beat Alonso, but also the McLaren engineers, who apparently gave the Spaniard the tasting menu and him the daily special. While one chose his fuel dose like ordering a coffee, the other had to make do with what was put in the tank. And on top of that, when he managed to win, people said it was because the car was good. That was all that was missing: now it turns out the fuel was a handicap and Alonso won because of the full menu.