LONDON - McLaren's Lewis Hamilton has praised former team mate and rival Fernando Alonso for burying the hatchet and congratulating him on becoming Formula One's youngest champion.

Hamilton told reporters at Mercedes' annual 'Stars and Cars' event in Stuttgart on Saturday that the Spaniard had visited him in the McLaren garage after last weekend's title-deciding race in Brazil.

Alonso, who had a spectacular falling out with McLaren management and Hamilton in 2007 and is now back at Renault, had said previously that he would prefer any team other than his former employers to win the title.

The Spaniard, whose supporters have also been embroiled in a racist controversy after hate messages were posted on an anti-Hamilton website, had been Formula One's youngest champion until the 23-year-old Hamilton beat Ferrari's Felipe Massa by a single point at Interlagos.

"It was great to see him in the garage," said Hamilton of the double champion.

"He came over as I saw my team, I turned round and he was there, just to wish me congratulations. Then he said congratulations to the rest of the team.

"I had a huge amount of respect for him already, but it took a big man to come and do that so I was very thankful to him."

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Clare Fallon)