Ahead of his final race in Formula 1, it has been claimed Fernando Alonso tried to blackmail McLaren into intentionally making Lewis Hamilton retire at the 2007 Hungarian GP.
The race in Budapest was probably the biggest flashpoint between the two drivers in their tense year together as teammates and ironically, it all started with an act of defiance by the Briton.
Hamilton ignored a team order to let Alonso through during qualifying with the Spaniard responding by intentionally costing Lewis the chance of a second flying lap by holding him up in the pit-lane.
The underhand tactic worked with Fernando getting pole but he would be given a five-place grid drop for his actions, promoting Hamilton to pole.
It was then, the BBC has reported that Alonso told McLaren he would reveal information about the team spying on Ferrari if they didn’t make his teammate’s car intentionally run out of fuel during the race.
McLaren refused with team boss Ron Dennis going to FIA president Max Mosley himself to disclose what would become the ‘spygate’ scandal and eventually saw the Woking-based team disqualified from the 2007 Constructors’ Championship and fined $100m.
Alonso’s manager Luis Garcia Abad later told Dennis his driver had made the demand in a “fit of temper” and wouldn’t have followed through with his threat with Fernando and Ron later shaking hands with the double world champion apologising.
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According to the source that revealed the story to the BBC, however, all of it could have been avoided if Hamilton had simply abided by the initial team instruction.
“The problems had started before, this was just the final volcanic eruption,” they said. “But Lewis started it. Let’s not forget that. If he had let Fernando past, there would not have been an explosion.”
History tells us that Alonso later left McLaren at the end of that year to rejoin Renault and since that day the now 37-year-old and Lewis enjoy a respectful friendship.
Indeed, the pair will be together for what is Fernando’s last press conference in Abu Dhabi later on Thursday.