Lewis Hamilton’s Top 5 biggest rivals in Formula 1

The 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has faced many intensive battles over the years since his debut in 2007. But who are his biggest rivals in F1?

The greatest driver in Formula 1 is undoubtedly the 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Though Michael Schumacher is on par with Lewis in the number of championship wins, Hamilton is an amazing talent who still shows longevity. But nothing comes without a fight in any sport. Over the years, the British driver faced stiff competition from many equally talented F1 drivers. Let’s see the top 5 rivals of Lewis Hamilton faced in Formula 1.

Five Arch Rivals of Lewis Hamilton in F1

5. Fernando Alonso

In his first season as a Formula 1 driver, Lewis went neck to neck with the world champion Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard had just defeated the GOAT Michael Schumacher and ended his career. Lewis Hamilton showed outstanding skills in his rookie year, challenging for the world championship against Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen.

The two drivers had a similar mentality of winning at any cost. McLaren found it hard with the two drivers during the races as both stopped obeying team orders. Finally, the two lost the world title to Raikkonen, fighting each other, and in 2008, Alonso left McLaren and joined Renault. Their rivalry continued for some more years until 2014.

4. Kimi Raikkonen

In 2007, Kimi won his first and only world title when driving for Ferrari. It was also the last driver’s title won by Ferrari. After that, the Maranello team tried to achieve glory with many drivers like Fernando Alonso, Fischella, Sebastian Vettel, and Felipe Massa but couldn’t succeed.

But in the 2007 Formula 1 season, the rivalry between the experienced Kimi Raikkonen and the rookie Lewis Hamilton was so intense that the title fight went to the final race in Brazil, where Kimi emerged as the winner. The mistake made by Hamilton in China cost him the world title that season, but the rivalry was nice to see.

3. Nico Rosberg

In Formula 1, people say your teammate is your biggest rival. So first beating a teammate is very important for any driver. Lewis Hamilton understood this well and kept on beating his childhood friend and rival Nico Rosberg. The German was frustrated as he openly spoke about Hamilton’s dominance.

The rivalry reached its boiling point during the 2015 season when they both crashed at the Spanish Grand Prix. Finally, with all the hard work, Rosberg defeated Hamilton in 2016 and became the world champion. He immediately retired as he couldn’t tolerate Hamilton’s pressure as a rival and a teammate.

2. Max Verstappen

Are you surprised? You should be. How can a man who defeated Lewis Hamilton in his prime be second? Max Verstappen is the only driver who tasted victory against Lewis in his prime, which is not an easy task. The 2021 Formula 1 season was the first time Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes were challenged with an equally competitive car.

The rivalry was massive and went to a controversial end at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Both drivers deserved to be the champion that year, but Max deserved a bit more because of his previous results and performances that season. After 2021, Hamilton and Mercedes haven’t been able to fight Max Verstappen or Red Bull.

1. Sebastian Vettel

The four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel is the biggest rival of Lewis Hamilton. He is also Hamilton’s best friend in the F1 grid. Even Lewis acknowledged this many times during his interviews. The rivalry started back in 2009 and continued till the 2019 season. For a decade, Sebastian Vettel was the only consistent driver who challenged Lewis Hamilton in many seasons.

He started his rivalry by dominating Hamilton from 2009 to 2013. In 2015, he joined Ferrari and went against a dominant Mercedes team. The German driver challenged Lewis despite facing many issues in his car, team, and strategy. The rivalry ended when Vettel moved to an underpowered Aston Martin car in 2021.