McLaren formed one of the most exciting line-ups in Formula 1 history in 2007 when they paired a rookie Lewis Hamilton with Fernando Alonso. Despite only lasting a single season, it will never be forgotten.<\/p>\n
Hamilton produced one of the great GP2\/F2 seasons<\/a> in 2006, scoring 14 podiums in 21 races. That marked him out as motorsport\u2019s next superstar. <\/p>\n Alonso<\/a> had already reached that status after back-to-back world championships with Renault. The Spaniard had signed the McLaren deal before he won the second of those titles.<\/p>\n CATEGORYVOL.Races86Championships2Wins15Poles15Podiums37Fernando Alonso\u2019s F1 record before he joined McLaren<\/p>\n It was a brand new partnership for Ron Dennis<\/a> as Kimi Raikkonen joined rivals Ferrari and Juan Pablo Montoya left F1 to race in the United States. McLaren were still chasing their first silverware of the 21st century.<\/p>\n Fernando Alonso earned 34 times Lewis Hamilton\u2019s salary at McLaren in 2007<\/p>\n According to former McLaren<\/a> team coordinator Jo Ramirez, who had left at the end of 2001, many in Spain were adamant that the team preferred Hamilton. He was the \u2018favourite child\u2019 of Dennis after progressing through the junior ladder with the backing of the team boss. <\/p>\n Even while he was still a McLaren driver, Alonso publicly stated that Hamilton<\/a>, as an English driver at an English team, was receiving all the support. They ultimately finished level on points as Raikkonen mounted the greatest comeback ever<\/a> to snatch the title.<\/p>\n However, Ramirez says the salary gulf between the two drivers disproves the favouritism allegations. Hamilton was apparently earning just three percent of Alonso\u2019s salary.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen they had Hamilton and Alonso, they always believed here in Spain that they gave preference to Hamilton, being English and being the favourite child of Ron Dennis,\u201d Ramirez explained. \u201cHe sponsored him all the way until he arrived in Formula 1. <\/p>\n \u201cOf course, people believed that they favoured Hamilton. But how were they going to favour Hamilton when they paid him \u00a3350k and Alonso was paid \u00a312m? It didn\u2019t work, it wasn\u2019t right.\u201d<\/p>\n Fernando Alonso underestimated Lewis Hamilton at McLaren<\/p>\n Ramirez reckons that Alonso saw Hamilton as the \u2018perfect\u2019 partner at first. He perhaps expected to take control of the team given the youngster\u2019s inexperience. <\/p>\n But Hamilton scored a debut podium in Australia and outpaced Alonso in just his third race in Bahrain. He was starting to show that he was a \u2018very special\u2019 talent.<\/p>\n \u201cAlonso never thought Hamilton would be a phenomenon,\u201d Ramirez recalled. \u201cHe thought, \u2018Hamilton is going to be my partner \u2013 a perfect rookie\u2019. He accepted him with open arms. When they started racing, he realised that Hamilton was very special.\u201d<\/p>\n In a recent interview, Eric Boullier suggested Hamilton is in the same position as Alonso at Ferrari<\/a>. Teammate Charles Leclerc is a true child of Maranello, having come through the academy.<\/p>\n