"I loved Lewis Hamilton being schooled on defensive driving by Fernando Alonso": F1 pundit on his favorite Hungarian GP

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso's rivalry is regarded highly in the F1 sphere, and fans were treated to a masterclass of defensive driving by the Spaniard at the 2021 Hungarian GP, as F1 TV presenter Sam Collins asserted. He shared how the race at the Hungaroring circuit taught the then-reigning champion a lesson on defensive driving by the oldest driver on the grid.

The 2021 season was focused on the drivers' championship battle between a surging Max Verstappen and the reigning champion, Hamilton. The Briton arrived at the Hungarian GP after reducing his deficit to the Dutchman in the standings at the previous round in Britain.

Moreover, the then-Mercedes driver was provided with the opportunity to gain a massive points haul over Verstappen as the Red Bull driver had to manage a damaged RB16B due to a lap one wreck. On the other hand, Hamilton's work was not all easy as he had to make his way through the field to claim a potential race victory on fresher tires.

However, one man stood between him and the win, who was Fernando Alonso. The two-time champion had a 10 lap-long scrap with Hamilton to halt his progress and help teammate Esteban Ocon claim his maiden race win in F1.

Despite the race taking place four years ago, its memories were still fresh in Sam Collins' mind, as this was his favorite memory from all the F1 races that have taken place at the Hungaroring circuit, as he said over the F1 TV stream during FP2:

"I loved Lewis Hamilton being schooled on defensive driving by Fernando Alonso."

He was then backed by fellow commentator Alex Jacques, who said:

"It was indeed. Esteban Ocon owed his maiden win to stopping Lewis Hamilton coming through the field."

Had it not been for Alonso parking the bus, the projected lap time figures showed that Lewis Hamilton would have easily made it past Ocon.

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Lewis Hamilton was appreciative of Fernando Alonso's defensive driving at the 2021 Hungarian GP

Fernando Alonso (L) and Lewis Hamilton (R) at the 2021 F1 Grand Prix of Hungary - Source: Getty

While Fernando Alonso's tactics stopped Lewis Hamilton from winning the race, the Briton was not entirely upset. He had gained 16 points over his championship rival Max Verstappen, and had dethroned him from the lead of the drivers' table.

After the race, the seven-time champion shared how he enjoyed his battle with the then-Alpine driver, and said (via F1):

"That was a really great battle. I knew when I was approaching him, I was like, this is going to be the hardest, because he’s very, very tough, I would say probably one of the toughest drivers to overtake." "It was very much on the limit – slightly over it at some points, but wheel to wheel racing is good, and I’m sure if I watch it back, it will just be close, and we both finished, so that’s how racing should be."

Meanwhile, both Hamilton and Alonso have left their then teams and now race for Ferrari and Aston Martin respectively.

Edited by Tushar Bahl