Hamilton's Ego Got Better of Him - Briatore
Motor sport: Flavio Briatore has accused Lewis Hamilton of allowing his ego to get the better of him during his pursuit of the world title race with Fernando Alonso
With the opening race of a new formula one season only days away Flavio Briatore has reignited last year's acrimonious battle between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton by suggesting the British driver allowed his "ego" to get the better of him during their intense but ultimately futile pursuit of the world championship.
The two drivers were team-mates in their first season at McLaren, with Alonso having moved from Renault as world champion while Hamilton made his formula one debut in a team that had nurtured him for years. Briatore, who manages Alonso and leads the Renault team which will again feature the Spanish driver this season, told the Guardian: "Hamilton had a very good possibility to learn. When you are a rookie you need to take that opportunity. He had the chance to drive with somebody very special in Fernando.
"Hamilton is very young and the talent is there but he lost this opportunity. As a rookie you should work for the team. Your team consists of 1,000 people working together to put two cars on the grid. You need to respect these people behind you - and not only your ego. This is something the driver needs to learn. It's not just about him. You hear drivers saying 'my car'. But it is not their car - it is the team car."
The two drivers were team-mates in their first season at McLaren, with Alonso having moved from Renault as world champion while Hamilton made his formula one debut in a team that had nurtured him for years. Briatore, who manages Alonso and leads the Renault team which will again feature the Spanish driver this season, told the Guardian: "Hamilton had a very good possibility to learn. When you are a rookie you need to take that opportunity. He had the chance to drive with somebody very special in Fernando.
"Hamilton is very young and the talent is there but he lost this opportunity. As a rookie you should work for the team. Your team consists of 1,000 people working together to put two cars on the grid. You need to respect these people behind you - and not only your ego. This is something the driver needs to learn. It's not just about him. You hear drivers saying 'my car'. But it is not their car - it is the team car."
Use the feedback form below to submit your comments.
Use the form below to email this article to your friends.
- Glock Treads in Hamilton's Tracks With Promotion to Formula One
- Motor Racing: Sensational Hamilton Powers to Pole Position
- Motor Sport: The Brain Rewiring and Supercharging That Makes Hamilton a Master
- Motor Sport: Rain Threatens to Turn Hamilton's Monaco Dream Into a Nightmare
- Formula One: Anthony Hamilton Talks to Alan Henry
- Formula One: Lewis Hamilton: 'if I End Up Alongside Alonso It Won't Intimidate Me'
- Disastrous Pit Stop Fails to Stall Mclaren Main Man's Drive for Perfection
- Wheel-nut Trouble Cuts Hamilton's Championship Lead to Three Points
- Rising Rosberg Primed to Emerge From Old Friend's Slipstream
- Hamilton Has Nothing to Fear But the Rain
- Hamilton Upbeat After Setting Practice Pace
- Tropical Cloud Hangs Over Confident Hamilton's Malaysian Hopes
- Hamilton Eclipses Massa in Final Practice
- Hamilton Needs to Play Safety First and Join the Union
- Hamilton Has Stripe of the Tiger, Says Stewart
- 'Almost Perfect' Says Hamilton As Mclaren Get Off to a Flyer
- Faultless Hamilton Gets Off to a Flyer
- Hamilton's New Challenge is to Lead Mclaren Out of the Woods From the Front