WATCH: Fernando Alonso stops Lewis Hamilton in pit lane to deny him pole position in Hungarian Grand Prix 2007

In a dramatic turn of events at the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso thwarted his teammate Lewis Hamilton's chance at pole position. The fallout from this singular qualifying session was pivotal, setting McLaren on a path that led to losing two championship titles and being excluded from the Constructors' Championship. It also marked the beginning of the end of Alonso’s tenure with the team.

Alonso, a two-time world champion, had joined McLaren with the expectation of being the clear No. 1 driver. The departure of Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen from McLaren in 2006 seemed to ensure Alonso's dominance within the team.

However, the arrival of rookie Lewis Hamilton in 2007, a driver McLaren had groomed since childhood, changed the dynamics significantly. Hamilton, coming off consecutive championships in Formula Three and GP2, quickly established himself as a formidable competitor.

By the Hungarian Grand Prix, the 11th round of the 17-race season, Hamilton was leading Alonso by two points in the championship standings. Hamilton’s consistent performance and his maiden F1 victories in Canada and Indianapolis had turned the rookie into a genuine title contender. The tension between the two drivers reached a boiling point during the qualifying session at the Hungaroring on August 4, 2007.

What happened in Budapest?

McLaren's strategy involved "fuel-burning" laps, where one driver would carry an extra lap's worth of fuel in qualifying. It was Alonso's turn to benefit from this system. However, Hamilton, defying team instructions, took to the front and refused to let Alonso pass. This move was justified by Hamilton’s claim that allowing Alonso to pass would enable Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen to advance.

In retaliation, during the final Q3 pit stops, Alonso executed a controversial manoeuvre. As both McLaren drivers stacked in the pits, Alonso was held for an unusually long 20 seconds, with Hamilton stuck behind him.

Here is the video:

Remember the story about Fernando Alonso giving out cash to the mechanics back in '07? The pettiness didn't stop there 😅

Hungarian GP 2007 - Alonso waits 10 seconds after the lollipop is lifted and he's free to go just to hinder Lewis waiting behind him in a double stack 😞 #F1 pic.twitter.com/qxwwfFl8VO

— Simon Dau (@there_is_no_if) September 18, 2022

Although the lollipop was lifted with ample time for both to complete their laps, Alonso lingered in the pits for an additional ten seconds, ensuring that Hamilton would not have enough time for a final flying lap. This helped Alonso who went on to secure pole position by a narrow margin of 0.107 seconds.

The aftermath was immediate. Lewis Hamilton, visibly enraged, stated in the post-qualifying press conference that the time he lost was “about the same amount of time I was held up in the pit stop.” The race stewards launched an investigation and gave a grid penalty to Alonso.