The 2007 Formula 1 season was packed with high-octane drama, political intrigue, and the rise of a rookie sensation in the form of Lewis Hamilton. But perhaps the most talked-about storyline from that tumultuous year was the brewing tension between the reigning two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and his McLaren teammate Hamilton. The defining flashpoint of their rivalry? The US Grand Prix at Indianapolis.
While F1 fans were thrilled by the sight of Hamilton and Alonso duking it out on track, few knew what was really simmering beneath the surface. The events of that weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway were pivotal in turning what should have been an all-conquering McLaren season into a spectacle of intra-team conflict. By the end of the race, it was clear that neither man was prepared to yield to the other—both on and off the track.
Setting the Stage: A Tale of Two Drivers
To understand the magnitude of what unfolded at the 2007 US Grand Prix, we must first look at the context leading into that season. McLaren had a dream lineup: the experienced, battle-hardened Fernando Alonso, who had just dethroned Michael Schumacher in 2005 and 2006, and a rookie driver named Lewis Hamilton, who had taken the motorsport world by storm in his first few races.
Alonso was coming off the back of consecutive World Championships with Renault, and McLaren, in a bid to return to glory, snatched him up as their lead driver. Enter Hamilton, McLaren’s prodigy, nurtured by Ron Dennis from his teenage years. While Alonso expected McLaren to rally behind him, Hamilton had his own ambitions. And they became clear immediately.
From the opening rounds, Hamilton was remarkably competitive, even outpacing Alonso in some races. By the time the circus arrived in the US for round seven, Hamilton had already scored his maiden win in Canada the previous week. With both drivers tied on points in the championship, tensions were beginning to rise, and what happened at Indianapolis would be the first real sign that McLaren was sitting on a powder keg.
Practice and Qualifying: The Gloves Come Off
The rivalry between Alonso and Hamilton began to take a more public form during the practice sessions and qualifying at Indianapolis. Both drivers had been quick all weekend, and it was clear that McLaren had the dominant car. The question was, who would come out on top?
In qualifying, it was Hamilton who laid down the gauntlet, snatching pole position by a narrow margin from Alonso. It was a psychological blow to the Spaniard, who had begun to sense that Hamilton was not the obedient teammate he might have expected. Alonso was accustomed to having the upper hand in team dynamics. At Renault, he was the undisputed number one driver. Now, for the first time in his F1 career, he faced the prospect of being matched, if not beaten, by a rookie.
After qualifying, Alonso didn’t hide his frustration. He downplayed Hamilton’s achievement and began to suggest publicly that he wasn’t receiving the full support of the team. “We know who McLaren wants to win,” he remarked in one interview, setting the tone for the war of words that would escalate as the season progressed.
But it was on race day that the tension really exploded into the public eye.
The Battle on Track: Elbows Out
Race day at the 2007 US Grand Prix started with a palpable tension hanging over the McLaren garage. Both drivers were in with a chance to win, and neither was willing to give an inch. From the moment the lights went out, it was clear that this would not be a simple team victory—it was a battle for supremacy between two fierce competitors.
Hamilton got away cleanly from pole, but Alonso was right on his tail. For much of the race, the two McLarens were locked in an intense fight, with Alonso trying everything he could to get past his young teammate. There were several moments where the two cars came close to touching, and the tension was so thick that even the commentators and fans could feel it.
The most dramatic moment came on lap 39 when Alonso made an audacious move around the outside of Hamilton at Turn 1. The two cars were side by side, wheel to wheel, with neither driver willing to back down. Alonso was desperate to take the lead and assert his dominance, while Hamilton, keen to prove he could hold his own against the double world champion, defended hard.
In the end, it was Hamilton who came out on top, holding off Alonso’s aggressive attempts to pass. The British rookie crossed the line to take his second consecutive victory, with Alonso finishing a frustrated second. The battle between them was fierce, and the body language between the two after the race told the full story—this was no ordinary teammate rivalry.
The Fallout: A Toxic Atmosphere at McLaren
The events of the US Grand Prix were just the beginning of what would become one of the most toxic intra-team rivalries in F1 history. Alonso, already frustrated by Hamilton’s speed, became increasingly vocal about what he perceived as McLaren’s favouritism towards the rookie. He believed that the team was giving Hamilton preferential treatment, and the atmosphere within the team quickly deteriorated.
Hamilton, for his part, was not about to play second fiddle to Alonso. He had grown up dreaming of becoming a world champion and saw this as his chance. While Alonso expected Hamilton to defer to him, the young Briton was determined to fight for the title on equal terms.
Things came to a head at the infamous Hungarian Grand Prix later in the season, where Alonso deliberately held up Hamilton in the pit lane during qualifying, preventing him from setting a final lap time. The tension had reached breaking point, and McLaren found themselves at the centre of a bitter internal feud.
Team boss Ron Dennis was left in an impossible position, trying to manage two fiercely competitive drivers who were now openly hostile towards each other. McLaren’s focus shifted from winning the championship to simply managing the fallout from the Alonso-Hamilton rivalry. The team’s title challenge ultimately collapsed, with Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen taking advantage to snatch the championship in the final race of the season.
Was it McLaren’s fault?
The rivalry between Alonso and Hamilton has been dissected endlessly in the years since 2007, and one question that continues to be asked is whether McLaren mishandled the situation. Should they have made it clear from the start that Alonso was the number one driver, or were they right to allow Hamilton to compete on equal terms?
Alonso has always maintained that McLaren favoured Hamilton, particularly as the season progressed. He felt that the team, particularly Ron Dennis, was more focused on promoting their young British star than on helping him win a third title. However, many within the F1 paddock have argued that Alonso underestimated Hamilton’s talent and was not prepared for the level of competition he faced from the rookie.
In hindsight, it’s clear that McLaren’s decision to allow their drivers to race each other, while admirable in theory, was disastrous in practice. The team’s inability to manage the rivalry effectively cost them both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships. What could have been a dominant season for McLaren turned into a nightmare as the relationship between Alonso and Hamilton completely broke down.
The Legacy of 2007: The Rivalry Lives On
More than a decade later, the rivalry between Alonso and Hamilton remains one of the most iconic in F1 history. While both drivers have gone on to achieve incredible success—Hamilton is now a seven-time world champion, and Alonso is considered one of the greatest talents the sport has ever seen—the events of 2007 have left a lasting legacy.
Their battles on track were electric, and the US Grand Prix was one of the key moments that ignited their fierce rivalry. It was the race that showed the world just how competitive Hamilton was and marked the beginning of a power struggle within McLaren that would ultimately define the season.
Looking back, it’s clear that the 2007 US Grand Prix was more than just a race. It was a turning point in F1 history—the moment when a young Lewis Hamilton truly announced himself on the world stage and when Fernando Alonso realised that he had a formidable rival in his own garage.