Alonso takes a dig at Hamilton

©McLaren

Fernando Alonso mocked Lewis Hamilton over the Brit's stance on data sharing which he expressed earlier in the week.

In a UBS Q&A session which was broadcasted on Facebook, Hamilton said that he considers the practice of divulging data to a team mate as 'unfair', as it opens up a driver's secrets about braking points or racing lines, with the ability for the man on the other side of the garage to improve performance.

While Hamilton insisted that his remarks were not intended for new team mate Vatteri Bottas, he did admit he had inquired to his team on the matter.

At yesterday's McLaren launch, Alonso, who partnered with Hamilton at McLaren in2007, took a clear dig at his former team mate.

"He said many times that he was learning from the data," Alonso said.

"Mercedes are one of those teams that are using more of the data between the engineers to help the drivers, so he said something that was a little bit strange.

"If he was watching more data from Rosberg last year, maybe he would have won the championship!"

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.