Fernando Alonso draws comparisons of Lewis Hamilton's last year with Mercedes and his final year with Renault

Fernando Alonso recently compared Lewis Hamilton's 2024 season with Mercedes to his last season with Renault in 2006.

Like Hamilton, who announced his move to Ferrari in 2025 after a long and successful run with the German outfit, Alsonso shocked the F1 world when he revealed that he would be switching to McLaren from Renault in 2007.

Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, about parallels to Lewis Hamilton's final year with the Silver Arrows, Fernando Alonso recalled that the atmosphere at Renault did not change for him after he announced his move to McLaren.

“For me, it was not a big difference. In 2006, I started the season very okay, I think with the team and very relaxed with a very good atmosphere, and for me didn’t change much,” Alonso said.

Alonso mentioned that Renault did not involve him in a few tests for the next year's car. He understood that the team was hiding a few secrets from him, since he was leaving by the end of 2006.

“It did change maybe for the team a little bit because halfway through the season they were just testing things or programming things for the following year and I was not involved in those things because they kept some secrets from me, which was understandable. I think for the driver point of view doesn’t change much for the team, they try to hide a few things in the second part of the year,” he added.

Fernando Alonso was at his peak when he left Renault. He won his first and second championships with them in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Despite being a defending world champion, he decided to leave the French team and join McLaren in 2007.

Lewis Hamilton's dominant era came to an end when Max Verstappen won his first title in an intense 2021 F1 season. After 2022, Mercedes was unable to create a strong car based on new technical regulations, preventing Hamilton from reclaiming the top spot. Eventually, the seven-time world champion decided to bid farewell to the Silver Arrows and start a new chapter at Ferrari.

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Fernando Alonso's boastful response to rumors about him replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

Amid rumors about Lewis Hamilton's replacement at Mercedes, Fernando Alonso boldly stated that he was the only world champion available for hire in 2025, since his Aston Martin contract is to run out in 2024. Speaking to GPblog, he said:

"I'm aware of my situation, which is very unique. There are only three World Champions on the grid and fast World Champions. Because in the past, maybe there were some World Champions, but they were not so committed to being fast. I'm probably the only one available for 2025. So I have a good position."

Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari has led to speculation of which F1 drivers would be potential candidates for the vacant Mercedes. Reports mentioned drivers like Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz, and even Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli, who could replace the seven-time world champion in 2025. As of now, the Brackley-based team has not officially chosen their future driver.