Not Afraid of Lewis.

By Sam Cooper
April 25 2007

When Lewis Hamilton entered 2007, many people thought he would struggle in formula one, this is not the case, and many people are starting to feel that Alonso is being shadowed by Lewis. After this claim, Fernando has slammed the press for even thinking that.

In his career, Fernando Alonso has had team mates that didn’t particularly challenge him, but in 2007 that’s all changing, with Lewis Hamilton on the block, Fe In his career, Fernando Alonso has had team mates that didn’t particularly challenge him, but in 2007 that’s all changing. Fernando could be experiencing a real challenge soon as we explain.

In the early days of Fernando’s career he didn’t have a team mate that would challenge him at all, Tarso Marques and Alex Yoong were the only people that could challenge him in the same car.

For the next two years, Jarno Trulli partnered the Spaniard, giving him a run for his money, in the end though, it was Fernando was the one that won a race back in Hungary of that year, and Fernando was the one who finished ahead of the two Renault drivers, it was the same story in 2004.

In 2005 things got much easier, as Fernando simply demolished his team mate, and in the process of doing that, he won the world championship. 2006 was the same, Giancarlo couldn’t put up a fight to the great Spaniard.

However, as we all know, things are drastically changing this year, Lewis Hamilton is currently drawing on points with Fernando, and the pressure may be getting to him, although Fernando has strongly disregarded this.

You are always really optimistic during the first months of a season," he said, "and you think that you can repeat all of your past successes. There are no bad thoughts at all - they usually come a little bit later, when things happen and you start to have doubts. Alonso insisted: But at the beginning of the season all of your expectations and predictions are good ones.

The Spaniard said switching from Renault after five years at the French team has left him feeling 'refreshed’. I have a different image but I have not changed as a person," Alonso continued. "But changing teams has made me feel ready for new challenges; I feel that this is a new chapter in my life and it is exactly what I needed."

He failed to match Briton Hamilton's pace last time out in Bahrain but Alonso insists that he approaches every race freshly and 'thinking that I can win'. Five minutes before you put on your helmet it would be a mistake to think that you are not going to beat everyone," he explained.