<\/p>\n
Lewis Hamilton has reacted to his old rival Fernando Alonso questioning the value of some of his championships.<\/span><\/p>\n The Spaniard said in an interview with the Netherlands\u2019 Telegraaf this week that a championship has \u201cless value when you\u2019ve only had to fight with your team-mate\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hamilton then posted a picture on social media from 2007, when he and Alonso were McLaren team-mates, with him on top of a podium and Alonso second.<\/span><\/p>\n The seven-time champion posted a thumbs up symbol with the photograph.<\/span><\/p>\n Hamilton said after Sunday\u2019s Mexico City Grand Prix: \u201cI don\u2019t have a lot to say about it. It does make me giggle a little bit. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI have tried to be really respectful over the years and when you\u2019ve ever asked me about who has been the best driver (I\u2019ve raced against), I have always tried to give praise. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut it is definitely interesting to see the comments made, but it doesn\u2019t really matter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Before those comments, Alonso had tried to reduce the impact of his comments with a post on Twitter on Saturday.<\/span><\/p>\n He wrote: \u201cPlease, all the titles are amazing, well deserved and inspiring. Incomparable to each other and let\u2019s enjoy champions and legends of our current time. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTired of the continuous search for headlines. Let\u2019s enjoy them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Hamilton made his debut in F1 in 2007 and he and Alonso staged a close and sometimes bitter fight. Both ended up losing out to Ferrari\u2019s Kimi Raikkonen by a single point.<\/span><\/p>\n At the end of the season, Hamilton and Alonso were tied on points and both had four wins, but Hamilton was declared ahead in the championship by virtue of having more second places. <\/span><\/p>\n Hamilton\u2019s Twitter post was a response to the social media reaction to Alonso\u2019s interview, in which he compared his own two world titles in 2005 and 2006 with those of Max Verstappen this year and last, against Hamilton\u2019s record-equalling seven.<\/span><\/p>\n Alonso said: \u201cThis year Max is very dominant and at some point he was able to cruise to the world title. Last season it was different. I thought he outperformed Lewis in the end and I think he is a worthy champion.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI also have a lot of respect for Lewis. Still, it\u2019s different when you win seven world titles, when you\u2019ve only had to fight with your team-mate. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen I think that a championship has less value than if you have fewer titles but you have had to compete against other drivers with equal or even better material. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn 2005 and 2006, I had a good start to the year and I was able to create a lead. Then others may have had a better car, but I was able to manage that gap. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI never had to fight with my team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella to win the title. I also didn\u2019t see Max fight Sergio Perez or Alex Albon to win races. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut [Michael] Schumacher mainly fought with his team-mate Rubens Barrichello to become champion five times in a row and Hamilton with Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas. That\u2019s different, I think.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Alonso\u2019s comments are a questionable interpretation of some of the titles won by Schumacher and Hamilton.<\/span><\/p>\n Schumacher and Ferrari dominated in 2001, 2002 and 2004 and the German driver had only his team-mate to beat, but in 2003 he had a close fight with McLaren\u2019s Raikkonen and Williams\u2019 Juan Pablo Montoya.<\/span><\/p>\n And while it is a fair comment to say Mercedes were unbeatable from 2014 to 2016 and in 2019-20, in 2017 and 2018 the Ferrari was arguably the quicker car for the majority of both seasons.<\/span><\/p>\n Ferrari\u2019s Sebastian Vettel\u2019s led the championship for much of both of those years, only for his title campaign to be undermined by mistakes from both driver and team, as well as problems with reliability and losing the development war late in the year.<\/span><\/p>\n Hamilton\u2019s Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said after the Mexico City Grand Prix: \u201c[Alonso]\u2019s a teaser. Comedy, it creates headlines. The sport is about headlines, they are great champions. Alonso likes to throw one in. I don\u2019t think it bothers Lewis a millimetre.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n