Aston Martin in the 2023 season was a revelation. The team back in Silverstone made a massive leap in the winter of 2022 to put them second on the grid for at least the opening half of the season. However, only one side of the garage can be credited for Aston Martin’s accolades in the first half, and that’s Fernando Alonso‘s side.

Lance Stroll was showcasing the prowess of the revamped AMR23 on rare occasions at best. The much-criticized Canadian seldom extracted the potential of the challenger underneath him. This became a cause of a lot of speculation about his F1 future. And now, to add insult to injury, Dutch touring champion Tom Coronel brutally insulted him in his year-end review.

Lance Stroll caught in the crossfire of Tom Coronel’s praise for Fernando Alonso

The Dutchman was highly impressed with the resurrection of Fernando Alonso in the sport. Aston Martin also proved to be a breath of fresh air in the sport, which is mainly dominated by three teams. In his year-end review for Formule 1, the Dutchman spoke highly of the Spaniard and Aston Martin, even ranking him as high as 3rd amongst the drivers on the grid, but in doing so, he brutally labeled Stroll as “spoiled”.

“Alonso brings flair. And I love that twinkle in his eye, but the hype was a bit exaggerated at one point. Nevertheless, in my opinion Fernando Alonso is still the third driver on the grid, behind Max Verstappen and Hamilton. I did sim races with him and what I remember was that when that server opened at nine in the morning, he was straight into the session, first. He still has the commitment and hunger of a 16-year-old. If, at the age of 42, you still jump into the arms of your mechanics when you finish on the podium, then the fire is still burning and that’s great! And he drives Lance Stroll home, but the latter is not difficult. That boy can race, but he needs someone to pull his ears. Stroll is just spoiled,” wrote Coronel in his review.

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Many would agree with this assessment of Coronel as we all believe, including Stroll, that Alonso is much faster than the Canadian. However, he did not end the season without earning a little respect from his doubters.

Lance Stroll earns some much-needed compliments from F1 veteran for his end-of-the-year performances

No one expected Stroll to beat his two-time world champion teammate in equal machinery. However, his performances throughout most of the year were not even close to the Asturian. However, toward the end of the season, he pulled up his socks, and it did not go unnoticed by Pedro de la Rosa at least.

The Aston Martin brand ambassador on the F1 Nation podcast said, “[Lance Stroll] has been flying the last few races, you know. Okay, there have been races where they have been difficult, and we’ve been at the back. Mexico, Austin, you know, starting from the pit lane. But he’s been incredibly fast. In some races, definitely faster than Fernando. This has impressed me from Lance. His capacity has really improved to learn and to grow stronger and [the Abu Dhabi GP] was an example of that.”  

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That’s a huge compliment for the Canadian even if it’s for one race. Let’s hope he can channel this side of him more often in 2024 and prove his F1 worthiness.