Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso - Teammates in Name Only

by Sanchez, Shot To Nothing.

What is it about professional race drivers? They have to be the biggest kids in all of sports, constantly throwing their toys out of their 200mph prams when things don't go their way.

This weekend saw a bit of a melt-down in the McLaren Formula-1 team. IT started in qualifying when Lewis Hamilton refused to let his teammate and current world Champion, Moonface Fernando Alonso, take the first 'hot lap'. Showing the pure class that only true World Champions possess, Alonso got his own back by refusing to budge from the pit-lane when Hamilton came in for a tyre change. This lead to Lewis missing out on his final qualifying lap, which is where he often wrestles pole position off of whoever owns it.

The FIA (Formula-1's governing body) reviewed the infraction, ruled that Alonso had shown bad sportsmanship and deliberately tried to sabotage his teammates session and knocked him down to sixth position on the starting grid. The result was that the rookie Hamilton, won the Grand Prix and extended his lead to seven points in the World Title Race.

So naturally, being the mature adult that Fernando is, he is now not talking to Lewis at all. All of this is hugely entertaining for us fans, but this spat is killing the McLaren team. If teammates refuse to share information with each other, then both drivers will inevitably suffer, as Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya did when they were both driving for BMW. What with this and the Ferrari teams appeal over the lack of punishment for spying, things are not looking good for the McLaren team.

[BBC Sport]