Fernando Alonso once got in trouble with Ferrari press office for something Lewis Hamilton is now doing

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Fernando Alonso very nearly won the world championship in his first season with Ferrari. In fact, Alonso entered the season finale in Abu Dhabi eight points clear at the top of the championship.

But in a remarkable turnaround, Alonso became stuck behind Renault’s Vitaly Petrov, as did Red Bull’s Mark Webber. That allowed race winner Sebastian Vettel to snatch the championship.

While the conclusion was heartbreaking, Alonso’s debut campaign with the Prancing Horse was excellent. He picked up five race wins and scored 10 podiums in 19 Grands Prix.

The Spaniard stayed for another four seasons, adding six more victories and 32 more podiums. There was another near-miss in 2012, but Alonso left Ferrari without winning the championship.

Just over a decade later, his longtime rival Lewis Hamilton arrived at Maranello. A world apart from competing for the title, there’s a growing risk that he fails to score a podium before the year is out.

Fernando Alonso rubbed Ferrari press officers up ‘the wrong way’ with outspoken interviews

One similarity between Hamilton and Alonso is their headline-grabbing interviews. In 2014, the latter publicly hit out at then team principal Marco Mattiacci for allegedly implying that he wasn’t ‘motivated’ (via BBC Sport), and said he would retain a close relationship with axed predecessor Stefano Domenicali (The Guardian).

Speaking on ESPN’s Unlapped podcast, journalist Nate Saunders recalled that comments like this landed him in trouble with the Ferrari press office. Likewise, Vettel was ‘rebuked’ for being outspoken.

Traditionally, Ferrari drivers are guarded in the media in deference to the stature of the team. But Hamilton has followed his fellow world champions with his honest approach.

Ahead of last month’s Belgian GP, Hamilton said Ferrari weren’t firing on ‘all cylinders’ and called for structural changes to end their title drought. They haven’t won the drivers’ championship since 2007, when he was a rookie.

“That’s why Lewis’ comments stand out,” Saunders said. “Ferrari drivers tend to not speak like that.

“Fernando Alonso used to and it used to really rub the press officers up the wrong way at the time. Vettel spoke quite a lot and was rebuked for that as well.”

Lewis Hamilton hasn’t replicated something else new Ferrari signings ‘usually’ do

Sky Italy pundit Ivan Capelli expected Hamilton to be revitalised at Ferrari this year. His final season with Mercedes was statistically the worst of his career,

Normally, a driver gains ‘strength and energy’ from their association with the Italian marquee. But Hamilton is at risk of making more unwanted personal history.

“Hamilton has been at Mercedes for a few years, having had some dark moments, but also flashes of brilliance that have shown he’s still a great driver,” Capelli said. “When you join Ferrari, you usually gain strength and energy from being part of such a historic team.

“So far, the adventure has started poorly and has continued in a limbo lacking in satisfaction, with Hungary being the low point.”

After he called himself ‘useless’ in Budapest and suggested the team bring in a replacement, Martin Brundle has questioned how long Hamilton will stay at Ferrari. The guaranteed period of his contract ends in 2026.