Alonso Rates Hamilton Higher than Vettel

Fernando Alonso says Lewis Hamilton is already among the top five drivers to have ever raced in Formula 1 as the Mercedes man prepares for a potential fifth title coronation at the United States Grand Prix. Hamilton will match the great Juan Manuel Fangio’s tally of world championships if he outscores Sebastian Vettel by eight points at the Circuit of the Americas.

Alonso was Hamilton’s first F1 team-mate in 2007 as they battled for the title with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, who ultimately prevailed by a single point over the McLaren pair.

The Spaniard was then a two-time champion that had been tipped to chase down Michael Schumacher’s astonishing records, but it is Hamilton that is within touching distance of the German legend, having already eclipsed his total of pole positions last year.

With Hamilton on the brink of historic achievements, Alonso says the Briton’s place in history is already secure.

Asked to name his top five F1 champions, Alonso said: “Michael, Fangio, [Ayrton] Senna, [Alain] Prost, Lewis – probably this will be the top five that comes to my mind.

“It’s difficult to compare different times and different ways to win those championships.

“Lewis winning five now and being the same as Fangio is a great achievement.

“If one had to do that in our generation I’m happy that it’s Lewis because he showed the talent and he showed the commitment.

“When the car was dominating, he delivered and won the championship. When the car was not good enough to win the championship he still put in some performances to show his talent. That’s difficult to see in our days.”

Hamilton himself has stated that his aim before starting in F1 was to match Senna’s tallies – he has since far outstripped the Brazilian icon and is grateful to have another legend in his sights.

“Fangio is like a godfather of the whole sport for us,” he said.

“He’s one of the greats from the beginning and will always be admired in the sport. It is crazy to think I’m embarking on a similar number of championships that he had.”