“Let’s not get bogged down with who did what to whom.” This (and variations of this) is one of the many quotes Jeremy Clarkson made truly iconic during his time hosting BBC’s Top Gear and Amazon’s The Grand Tour. This is exactly the mindset he applied while ripping Lewis Hamilton to shreds following the seven-time champion’s comments and behavior during the 2021 Hungarian GP.

Almost every Formula 1 season has one race that stands out. One that makes that season more exciting than it would’ve been had that race not happened. In 2021 (apart from the Italian GP that saw a McLaren 1-2), it was F1’s trip to Hungaroring. If a new race winner, a first-lap bowling game, six retirements, one disqualification, and Hamilton finishing second after starting first are anything to go by, you know it was an exciting race. But Hamilton might’ve tainted it for Clarkson.

Lewis Hamilton played the victim after the Hungarian GP

It’s become a well-known fact that Clarkson isn’t the biggest Hamilton fan. Although he did like him as he was still making a name in F1, that’s not the case anymore. As per a column he wrote for The Times, as quoted by Grandtournation.com, “We loved Lewis Hamilton until he became the greatest racing driver in history. Then, we all thought he was a God-bothering nuisance.” Well, he wasn’t any less harsh on him after his “cheating” allegations against Fernando Alonso during the Hungarian GP.

In a race that saw only Hamilton at the start line after an early Red Flag, the Mercedes driver had to fight from the back of the grid to cross the line in P3. That fight involved getting past then-Alpine driver Alonso, whose teammate, Esteban Ocon, was leading the race. In an attempt to keep Hamilton at bay and from catching up to Ocon, there were a few tense moments in the fight, but one that particularly stood out was an incident through the high-speed Turn 4 where Hamilton got pushed a little wide by Alonso.

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Although there was nothing wrong with what Alonso did, Hamilton complained, “Did you see he just moved over on me man? At that speed, it’s so dangerous.” In response to Hamilton’s remarks, Clarkson wrote in his column for The Sun, “Lewis Hamilton needs a smacked bottom. He spent most of last weekend’s thrilling race on the radio, claiming the chap in front of him, Fernando Alonso, was cheating. Which he wasn’t.”

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Clarkson continued, “And then, when he finished in third place, he flopped about on the podium, claiming he has “long COVID,” which seems to me to be another way of saying: ‘Please ignore Esteban Ocon, the rookie who just beat me. I’m the real hero, and don’t you forget it.’ Well, I’m sorry, Lewis, but if you behave like that, you aren’t.” On top of getting a dressing down from Jeremy Clarkson, Hamilton also learned a lesson from Alonso during the race.

Fernando Alonso taught Lewis Hamilton new lines during their battle

Alonso’s 2021 Alpine was nowhere close to the level of Hamilton’s 2021 Mercedes, and unlike in 2023, the duo barely ever had on-track battles. When the opportunity presented itself in Hungary, Alonso didn’t hold back while defending, doing everything he could to ensure his team got its maiden F1 victory. While it may have looked like Alonso had every intention of keeping Hamilton behind him for whatever remained of the race, the Spaniard revealed that wasn’t the case.

While discussing his 10-lap tussle with Hamilton, as reported by Autosport, Alonso said, “I thought honestly that I could not hold him more than one or two laps. But on the last couple of corners, he seemed to struggle a little bit to follow me. Then, it was enough to open a gap on the straight and defend.” Watching Alonso take different lines helped Hamilton eventually overtake Carlos Sainz for P3. Alonso added, “I think he learned a couple of different lines in the last three corners after the 10 laps behind me. He was able to pass Carlos just in one lap, applying those new lines.”

Do you think Fernando Alonso’s move to push Lewis Hamilton wide at Turn 4 amounted to cheating?

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