Lewis Hamilton names his toughest F1 rival, excludes Verstappen, Schumacher & Rosberg

Lewis Hamilton has cemented himself as the greatest Formula One driver of all time, dominating the sport since his debut season way back in 2007.

As a rookie driver, he finished runner-up in the Drivers’ Championship by a single point, before correcting that and winning the crown a year later in 2008 in dramatic fashion at Interlagos, breaking Felipe Massa’s heart.

Since his shock move to Mercedes in 2013, many were left scratching their heads, but the Brit knew what he was doing and has won six world titles with the team and finished runner up twice.

Last season saw him go wheel-to-wheel with Max Verstappen for the entire season, with the fiery rivalry culminating in an Abu Dhabi showdown with the pair tied on points.

Ultimately, it was heartbreak for Hamilton who had the record-breaking eighth title in his pocket before Michael Masi changed the safety car rules for a lap of racing to effectively gift Verstappen the title after it looked lost for the Dutchman in the final race.

The 2016 season also saw him miss out by just five points to teammate and childhood friend, Nico Rosberg. Their three-year rivalry at the Silver Arrows was so intense that their personal relationship crumbled.

Despite those two gruelling, painful seasons and losses, Hamilton hasn’t named either of them as his toughest rival in Formula One.

Instead, he has named current Alpine driver Fernando Alonso as his toughest rival which saw the pair first battle it out as McLaren teammates in Hamilton’s rookie season. He was a two-time world champion at the time so a daunting prospect for most.

They then battled it out at the front of the grid early in the 2010s, with Hamilton driving for McLaren and then Mercedes whilst the Spaniard was at Ferrari. We were