Lewis Hamilton will start the 2019 F1 season as favourite to win another championship, according to Fernando Alonso.

The Mercedes driver clinched his fifth world championship and his fourth in the last five seasons in the Mexican Grand Prix.

Alonso said Hamilton deserves to be considered one of the sport’s greatest drivers.

“It’s difficult to rank in different times, different eras of Formula 1. Some of the championships you are fighting until the last race, some of the championships you are winning against your team mate. Arguably Lewis lost with Nico one of those championships.

“But he is one of the top so I think he should be happy with that. And it’s not finished yet. I think next year he starts as a favourite again so that is a good thing.

Alonso won back-to-back championships with Renault in 2005 and 2006 before joining McLaren where he was partnered with Hamilton, who was then a rookie. Alonso said Hamilton is capitalising on the benefit of having a consistently competitive car.

“I think we all could have a run in championships like Lewis had or Sebastian [Vettel] had – he won four championships and he had half a second or one second advantage to the next car. That was the right time and the right moment and the right car.

“You need to be on those places to win that amount of championships.”

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2019 F1 season