FATHER of five-times Formula 1 world Champion Lewis Hamilton says he wants to see Spain's Fernando Alonso back on the Grand Prix circuit since the sport 'needs someone like him'.
Anthony Hamilton, interviewed during the British Grand Prix at Silverstone after his son's epic win – described as 'probably the best performance in years' – said Alonso's comeback would be 'great news' for the sharp end of motorsport.
“Personally, I think Fernando retired very early, but I understand why he did it,” says Hamilton Senior.
“If he came back it would be fantastic, because we need someone like him in the sport again.”
Dad of the British prodigy spoke to Spanish reporters live on Movístar+ just before Lewis set off from the grid.
His appeal for Alonso to return to Formula 1 contrasts sharply with the controversy between the two racing drivers in 2007 when they were competing together for team McLaren.
Hamilton's treatment by team boss Ron Dennis and his management, Anthony Hamilton's close involvement with team decisions and complaints of favouritism of the British driver led Alonso to leave the scuderia that same year, not returning to McLaren until 2015.
McLaren's, and earlier, Ferrari's failure to provide Alonso with a competitive car, leading to his constantly finishing near the back of the line or having to retire mid-race, were largely the cause of his decision to leave at the end of the 2018 season and focus on the World Endurance Championships (WEC), which he was previously dovetailing with Formula 1 with McLaren's blessing.
The Oviedo-born twice-world champion is also rumoured to have been taken on as test-driver for McLaren, and is striving hard to become only the second racing driver in history, after the UK's Graham Hill, to net the so-called motorsport 'triple crown' – the Le Mans 24-Hour, the Monaco Grand Prix, and the Indianapolis 500, of which he only now has the latter to win.
When Alonso retired, Lewis Hamilton famously said the Spaniard was the 'greatest driver' he had ever raced against, even more so than seven-times champion and German legend Michael Schumacher, who is now severely disabled after an off-piste skiing accident left him in an induced coma with serious brain injuries.
The photograph, from Movístar+ Formula 1 on Twitter (@movistar_F1), shows Anthony Hamilton talking to the broadcaster's reporter at Silverstone this weekend.
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