Lewis Hamilton confesses that his rivalry with now former team-mate Jenson Button never excited him, but the thought of beating Fernando Alonso excites him more than any other driver.
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday the Mercedes driver admitted his main rival is the Spaniard, who he described as “the fastest driver.”
“Talking about a rivalry with Jenson doesn’t really excite me, the rivalry with Fernando excites me more,” Hamilton said of Alonso, who he beat in his rookie season when they were paired at McLaren.
“He’s the guy I want to beat. You also want to beat Seb[astian Vettel], as they are the ones with most titles. But Alonso’s the fastest driver I can see.
“He’s also one of the most experienced. Anyone would struggle to beat him. You’ve got to try and stay ahead of him in a Ferrari that’s competitive. That’s going to be a real challenge.”
Whilst Hamilton recently admitted he is targeting third in the season opener in Australia, his future targets remain much higher.
“I expect myself to win, to achieve greatness, to excel. That’s what I work hard for. It’s what drives me on.
“We all want to be the one. I was the one for a short period of time – now it’s toppled over to Sebastian. But I want to be at the forefront. People see Michael Schumacher as a god, and that’s where I want to be.”
