OYAMA, Japan — Lewis Hamilton still respects Fernando Alonso’s racing achievements, but his opinion of his teammate has changed.
“I think the more and more you get to know someone, you get to really see what they’re like deep inside,” Hamilton said, “and whether you can trust them or not, and I won’t say any more.”
Asked if Alonso has been loyal enough to McLaren, Hamilton said “No.”
“Especially at the beginning of the season, he’s the guy that’s supposed to take them to the championship, and they’ve bent over backwards to make him feel comfortable,” Hamilton said. “Me and Pedro (de la Rosa) have done the same, we’ve been told: ‘Try and make Fernando feel welcome in the team.’  We’ve done that, and then you saw what he did to the team.”
Hamilton is referring to Alonso’s involvement in the spy scandal.
Ron Dennis played down the strained relationship between his two drivers.
“All the issues of relationships and who said what and did what is immaterial,” Dennis said. “I’m not going to waste any of my energy on it, nor is any other member of the team.
“We’ve got a competitive tension within the team and what would you expect? But that’s where it ends.”
Hamilton, however, told the British newspapers that he would prefer not to have Alonso as a teammate next year.
The events of the past two months have definitely made Alonso close himself off from the distractions and people in the various scandals and controversies, and he looks rather moody these days.
“I cannot be every day and every week answering rumors and telling my point of view or my version or my truth to anyone,” he said.