'Short memory... Getting old... Weaknesses' - Alonso's latest swipe at Hamilton

After being easily passed by Max Verstappen at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Hamilton said the 2023 Red Bull is “the fastest car I’ve seen” in F1, arguing their advantage over the field is greater than anything Mercedes enjoyed during their own spell of dominance. 

Hamilton claimed six of his seven world championships during Mercedes’ unprecedented streak of eight consecutive constructors’ titles between 2014 and 2021.

Alonso, who has rarely seen eye-to-eye with Hamilton, rejected the seven-time world champion’s remarks in an interview with French publication L’Equipe ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. 

“I don’t agree at all,” the two-time world champion said of Hamilton’s view. 

“Last week [in Saudi Arabia] I finished 20 seconds behind Checo and Max [Verstappen]. He and [Nico] Rosberg were a minute ahead in 2014 and 2015... He has a short memory, he’s getting old!”

41-year-old Alonso also appeared to take a swipe at his old nemesis’ recent performances, suggesting Hamilton benefitted from having such a competitive car for a number of years. 

“With a normal car, you can see that he has weaknesses,” Alonso added. 

“Before, he drove alone or sometimes with his team-mate. But look, he is the record holder for poles and George Russell has just given him a 2-0 in qualifying this season. It just goes to show how much the car is still a key factor…”.

Hamilton and Alonso retain a spikey relationship to this day following their fallout while teammates at McLaren in 2007. 

Their rivalry flared up again during the 2022 season when Hamilton and Alonso collided at the Belgian Grand Prix. 

Alonso has enjoyed a strong start to 2023 in his much-improved Aston Martin, which appears to have overtaken Hamilton’s Mercedes in the pecking order.