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Pedro de la Rosa has claimed that Lewis Hamilton is not the greatest driver in Formula 1 history as he lacks Fernando Alonso’s ‘resilience’.
Over the years, Hamilton and Alonso have etched themselves into F1’s rich history, having won a combined total of nine world titles.
Statistically, Hamilton can be labelled as the F1 GOAT, as he has the most wins, podiums and pole positions.
Aside from Hamilton and Alonso, the likes of Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen are also firmly in the conversation.
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Pedro de la Rosa claims Lewis Hamilton is not the F1 GOAT
According to De la Rosa, though, Alonso stands out the most due to his ‘resilience’.
Speaking to Sky Sports reporter Rachel Brookes in her new book ‘F1 Racing Drive’, De la Rosa claimed that Alonso is the greatest driver in F1 history and questioned whether Hamilton would still ‘be here’ if he had to endure the Spaniard’s career.
Brookes wrote: “One man is clear on who his GOAT is, having worked with the statistical GOAT Lewis Hamilton and a two-time world champion, Pedro de la Rosa, has no doubt.
“He reveals, ‘I think the best driver there has been in Formula 1 is Fernando. I lived through the Schumacher, Hamilton, Alonso, Button and Vettel; they were all great.
“But, I can only judge the people that I have worked more closely with. And I think that for the GOAT, it is not only the guy that is fast and adaptable, but it’s a guy that has resilience.
“He would always be to his maximum, no matter how competitive his car is, that’s why Fernando fits better than anyone else.
“Because I don’t think that if you put Lewis in a car that’s not capable of winning for all the years Fernando had, he would still be here now.”
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Pedro de la Rosa says Fernando Alonso is ‘at his best’ when the pressure is mounting
Expanding on why he thinks Alonso is the F1 GOAT, De la Rosa spoke about how the 44-year-old can deal with intense pressure.
De la Rosa added: “When Fernando is happy, very happy out of the car and everything is going well, I know he is not at his best.
“When the pressure is mounting to an incredible level where I would feel uncomfortable, and where I would not be responding or being able to extract the last few hundredths in the car, he will.
“And that’s where the special driver shines, I think many drivers can win if their car is easy and consistent. Some drivers manage to do something on the pedals, on the steering, just get that car to another level.”
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