Lewis Hamilton has said he cherishes his first race in Formula One as the highlight of his career as he prepares to take part in his 300th race at the French Grand Prix this weekend. The 37-year-old added that during his 16-season career in F1 he rated the double world champion Fernando Alonso as his most formidable opponent.
Hamilton made his F1 debut in 2007 at Melbourne aged 22, the culmination of a lifelong ambition to reach F1. “The whole realisation of reaching your dream is a very, very surreal experience, it is always going to be your first, there’s only one first,” he said. “Just getting to that first grand prix in 2007, the amount of sleepless nights as a family all of us had had not knowing if we would reach our dream but never giving up nonetheless and being there, that will probably be the real highlight.”
In bringing up his triple century on Sunday, Hamilton will join a select group of drivers. Only five others have competed in 300 or more grands prix, with Kimi Räikkönen heading the pack on 349. Alonso with 344 is the only other active driver to have reached the milestone, while Rubens Barrichello raced in 322 and Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button 306 apiece.
Hamilton insists he does not pay attention to statistics but it is worth noting that none of those five drivers won a race after they had surpassed the 300 mark. As things stand doing so this season will be some task, but he remains optimistic despite this being the longest he has gone without victory.
“It doesn’t faze me because I am working towards getting that win,” he said. “I do believe we will at some stage be able to compete with these guys. Whether it is this weekend or in five races’ time.”
In that debut season he joined Alonso, then reigning world champion, at McLaren and the pair had a fractious relationship, such was the intensity of the competition between them.
When asked who he regarded as the greatest challenge of his career, the seven-time champion named the Spaniard.
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“I remember the task of being alongside Fernando when I was 22, I was so young mentally,” he said. “It is a lot of pressure to go up against a great like him, on pure pace and ability I would say it is Fernando. We had some good battles.”
Alonso, who made his debut in 2001 but has not challenged Hamilton since he drove for Ferrari between 2010 and 2014, in turn paid tribute to his rival. “I don’t think he has changed,” he said. “He had the talent in 2007 and he still has the talent now. With the experience he has been a tremendous driver, a legend of our sport.”
