Alonso outburst ‘strange’ says Hamilton
The 22-year-old, who had sparked his own media furor after Monaco by claiming that it was he who is the Woking based team's "number two", now insists that McLaren pushes both drivers to win.
Referring to Alonso's controversial comments, championship leader Hamilton – who was nearly half an hour late for the FIA press conference – said in Indianapolis: "I don't know why he would say that but I guess because he is Spanish and I am English he might feel that way but I don't agree with it personally."
The Canadian GP winner speculates that Alonso, the winner of the past two drivers' championships, probably didn't expect to be challenged so hard for the 2007 title by a rookie teammate.
Hamilton, who revealed that he received 200 SMS messages after winning in Montreal, added: "But I don't know if that is why he is saying what he is saying.
"He has not really been challenged. He's had some challenges, but not someone as close as me and as good a friend off the track (as me). So it is a very difficult situation."
Former McLaren driver David Coulthard, meanwhile, rejected theories that Alonso is failing to cope with pressure.
Rather, the formula one veteran and Red Bull racer said the Spaniard is "still making mistakes" as he adapts to the Bridgestone tires.
"That's not easy," Coulthard wrote in his column for ITV.
"They give you a totally different feel, a different balance. It's like a man learning to wear high heel shoes."