Aston Martin Mastermind Lauds ‘Exceptional’ Lance Stroll for Taking the Fight to Fernando Alonso

At the start of the season, if there was any team looking to put up a promising challenge to Red Bull’s run of dominance it was Aston Martin. However, they’ve lost out on the development race after McLaren and Mercedes have left them in the dust. The fact that Fernando Alonso was carrying more than half of the team’s points on his back alone has raised questions of what Lance Stroll’s motives are with the seat he has in his father’s team.

It’s safe to say Lance Stroll hasn’t had the fairytale of a year his teammate has had. But while Fernando Alonso was on the podium at the Brazilian GP, Lance Stroll decided to turn things around. After the weather gods provided him with the perfect opportunity to bounce back from a woeful season, Stroll qualified ahead of Alonso in P3!

Pedro de la Rosa on Lance Stroll beating all odds at the Brazilian GP

After losing out to the Spaniard for the majority of the 2023 season, Lance Stroll gained some confidence he needed at the Sao Paulo GP. With Aston Martin ambassador, Pedro de la Rosa sharing on the F1 Nation podcast, “Well, I mean I think that Lance has been driving exceptionally well at the past few events. Not only in Brazil, but also in Mexico, you know, under difficult circumstances he was flying, flying!

The former F1 driver, who has been a voice of wisdom for the Silverstone team, was all praises for Stroll’s heroics in Interlagos. He added, “And driving a very difficult car exceptionally well, then in Brazil he was again, at many stages of the weekend he was faster than Fernando.” Even though Alonso finished ahead of Perez and Stroll, the Canadian was only six seconds off the mark at the checkered flag.

Pedro de la Rosa concluded, “He even out-qualified him on a very, I repeat, very tricky qualifying session and then in the race! It was not only qualifying. On race pace, he was closing the gap to Checo and Fernando so this is just the proof of what he can do.”

READ MORE: Can Aston Martin Prodigy Follow Oscar Piastri’s Path as Lawrence Stroll Continues to Rest Faith in Son Lance?

Even though Lance Stroll had excelled in Sao Paulo, there were talks of him not cutting in 2024 because of Alonso dominating the teammate battle. However, the Canadian has put aside any fears and chooses to march head-on into the next year.

The Strolls are here to stay

What was supposed to be a joint effort between Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll to lead Aston Martin from the lower mid-field to a frontrunning team only came after the Brazilian GP chaos ensued. But if Lance Stroll repeats his Sao Paulo performance consistently in 2024, we might finally see a formidable force emerge from Silverstone once again.

Lance Stroll added solid grounds to his right to the seat owned by his father by squashing the rumors of his exit from Formula 1 to the World Endurance Championship. He was quoted by racingnews365 and was ecstatic about the confirmation by TP Mike Krack that Stroll would stay with Aston Martin alongside Alonso for 2024.

He added, “The plan is I’m staying next year. It’s been a challenging season at times for sure. [There’s been] some great highlights but also some frustrating days of recent. But yeah, the plan is to keep going next year for sure.” 

WATCH THIS STORY | Is Lance Stroll a Permanent Driver for Aston Martin F1 With a Lifetime Contract?

Looks like we’re in for a brilliant year in 2024 for the father-son duo if Lance Stroll continues on his Brazilian form, but he must tread carefully, McLaren are ready to pounce and Ferrari is looking strong for the Vegas GP. Only time will tell us if the Aston Martin success story continues.