Lewis Hamilton has rejected any possibility of having Fernando Alonso as a teammate in the future despite it being more than a decade since their tumultuous year at McLaren in 2007.
The Briton, in his rookie season, and the Spaniard, then the defending double world champion, fell out spectacularly as they battled for the title with Alonso unhappy at the equal treatment his young partner was getting and would ultimately move back to Renault after just one year.
When Nico Rosberg retired as world champion after 2016, many hoped the 36-year-old, now back at McLaren, would make the move and create what would be one of the great ‘super-teams’.
Though a mutual respect has grown between with Alonso in the years since, Hamilton insists, however, it is not an option as the pair are simply not compatible in the same working environment.
“No. That will not happen,” he told German publication Stuttgarter Zeitung. “Toto [Wolff, Mercedes Motorsport boss] understands how the interpersonal dynamics of a team work.
“I would compare it to a magnet: when two north poles meet, they repel each other. You need a north and a south pole,” he added. “Two of the same result in negative energy, as in 2007 between me and Alonso.”
One potential partnership that could happen in 2019 is the Mercedes driver having Daniel Ricciardo alongside, with the Australian out of contract at Red Bull after next year.
The ‘Honey Badger’ has also said he hopes to test himself as a teammate to Hamilton, but recently, Lewis left out the five-time Grand Prix winner when naming his main rivals for next season.
“Lewis would be very foolish to underestimate Daniel,” Ricciardo’s Team Principal Christian Horner told Sky Sports. “He’s a phenomenal driver, he’s arguably the best overtaker in the business. He’s driven some great races this year and some great races in his time at Red Bull.
“He’s absolutely ready for a championship challenge if we can provide him with the tools to do the job.”
