"It's Formula 1. It has been like this always" - Fernando Alonso thinks Lewis Hamilton's car is to blame for his failures and successes

Fernando Alonso has weighed in on Lewis Hamilton’s current struggles at Mercedes, saying that the Briton’s success and failures in F1 are equally down to the machinery he has been provided with. Speaking to RN365 following the Imola GP, the two-time F1 world champion said:

“It’s Formula 1. It has been like this always. When [Ayrton] Senna won the championships and the races, he had the fastest car. When I won the championship, I had the fastest car. Michael [Schumacher] had the fastest car. Lewis [Hamilton] broke all the records and pole positions because he had the fastest car. Today, Lewis is driving super well and he’s P13. It’s Formula 1.”

Lewis Hamilton is arguably one of the most successful drivers in F1. He has won seven world championship titles, while amassing an astonishing 103 victories, an equal number of pole positions and more than 180 podium finishes in his career.

Hamilton also has one of the longest point-scoring streaks in the sport’s history to his name, having secured points in 48 consecutive races between mid-2018 and late 2020. With Mercedes, the Briton dominated the sport between 2014 and 2020 and is often regarded as one of the greatest drivers in F1.

Mercedes’ domination, however, was brought to a halt last season. Max Verstappen narrowly clinched his maiden world championship, denying Hamilton an opportunity to secure a record-breaking eighth F1 title.

Meanwhile, the Silver Arrows have fallen out of the championship battle in 2022 after just four rounds given their innumerable issues. After starting the season promising to perform better than he has ever done before in his career, Hamilton has had two of the worst race weekends of his career this season.

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2022 regulations haven’t closed the gap between top teams and the rest of the grid: Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso is frustrated with the gap in performance between the front runners and the rest of the grid, believing that the new regulations have done nothing to address the problem. Speaking to RN365, Alonso said:

“There is no race at the moment [for the championship]. It is like fighting with Lewis [Hamilton] last year, or [Max] Verstappen. They start last and they finished on the podium still, so there is not much to fight.”

The 2022 regulations brought along numerous developmental restrictions such as cost caps and aerodynamic testing allowances. These were expected to level the playing field between teams across the grid, while taking away the traditional advantages that the most well-funded teams such as Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull held.

Fernando Alonso's comments are not unfounded as the current season hasn’t had the desired effect. So far this season, Red Bull and Ferrari still hold a greater advantage over the rest of the field.