Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Nelson Piquet Jr says Fernando Alonso still carries the same competitive fire he had 20 years ago, while Lewis Hamilton no longer shows the same love, passion and hunger for Formula 1.
Speaking to Soy Motor on 20 April 2026, the former Renault driver drew a sharp contrast between the two champions and made Alonso's longevity the center of his argument. Piquet, who raced alongside Alonso in 2008 and 2009, said the Spaniard's level has barely changed with time.
“His speed, he’s a very fast guy, who’s always very hungry. He has the same motivation and the same hunger as he did 20 years ago. It’s something very admirable,” Piquet said.
He then turned directly to Hamilton and argued that the same intensity is no longer visible in the seven-time world champion.
“You don’t see the same thing with Lewis, for example. Lewis doesn’t have the love, passion, and hunger that Fernando still has, and Fernando is older,” Piquet said. He added that Alonso is “five or six years older” than his and Hamilton’s generation and still has “more passion than many of the other drivers.”
That age gap is what makes the comparison so pointed. Hamilton turned 41 in January, while Alonso is approaching his 45th birthday, yet Piquet sees the older of the two veterans as the one still driven by the same mindset that defined him at the start of his career.
Piquet also placed Alonso in the same category as Max Verstappen, saying both simply love racing. He described Alonso as “a pure competitor” and said the two-time world champion was already extremely hard to beat when they shared a Renault garage nearly two decades ago.
“When I raced against him, we’re talking about 2008, 18 years ago, he was at his peak, he was very difficult to beat, I respect him enormously as a driver,” Piquet said, reinforcing his view that enduring passion is what separates the sport’s most exceptional competitors.