Lewis Hamilton has had his fair share of bitter rivalries since stepping foot into F1. It all started with Fernando Alonso during his rookie season, when his teammate finished on equal points and lost the championship by 1 point. Then came Nico Rosberg in 2016 to the latest one with Max Verstappen. And now, the two rivals are still on the grid, with Verstappen and Alonso ganging up on Lewis Hamilton, as advised by the ex-Ferrari boss. But how did they do it?

Unlike the majority of the circuits on the 2024 F1 calendar, Imola is among the few that have a traditional track designed for older cars. The cars back in the day were pretty narrow and lightweight, and as a result, the track is also quite narrow. Thus, for modern F1 cars, it is a nightmare to do a fast lap when the track is busy, it is guaranteed you will find some traffic.

And that is exactly what Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen found in the form of Lewis Hamilton as they went on the radio and slammed the 7X champ for not moving. The reason why they did so, as explained by Peter Windsor in his YouTube video: “It was probably because of Lewis that Max made such a big deal. Okay fair enough. And Fernando Alonso also having quite a go at Lewis Hamilton as well. At one point getting on the radio and saying ‘Lewis seems to drive around thinking he’s the only guy on the track’”

Furthermore, Windsor explained how Hamilton’s Ferrari move and 7 titles are why other drivers envy him, as he added, “So Lewis Hamilton is going to get these darts thrown at him because he’s the guy going to Ferrari. And everyone, his opposition, his peers are thinking, he’s had such a great run, he had such a great car, he’s won the 7 titles and now he’s going to Ferrari, what a drive. And what we need is for Adrian Newey to go there as well.”

It is fascinating how F1 drivers express their rivalry on track. Who would’ve thought that Alonso and Verstappen slammed Hamilton extra hard because of the Ferrari move? Regardless, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso both had terrible practice sessions at the Imola GP weekend. 

Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen’s struggles at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Practice

Both Aston Martin and Red Bull came to the Imola GP with upgrades on the car, but they only seem to have made the car worse. Just like in Miami, Max Verstappen complained that the car did not have any grip in the rear at all. On the other hand, Fernando Alonso struggled to get his car into the Top 10, followed by his AMR24 snapping mid-corner and sending him into the barrier. 

Explaining the frustration of the Friday practice, Max Verstappen said, “There was no balance in the car, I did not feel comfortable. It was actually really bad, the long run too. Do I think it will be better tomorrow? It can hardly be worse than today.” Alonso, however, hasn’t made any comments yet but is okay and got out of the car. And it looks like he’ll require a new gearbox for qualifying.

What did you make of Alonso and Verstappen’s ganging up against Lewis Hamilton? Share your thoughts in the comments.