Visionary Lawrence Stroll’s $240 Million Worth Idea Gets a Seal of Approval From Fernando Alonso as Fortunes Start to Change at Aston Martin

The ideal composition when it comes to drivers in an F1 team is that of one senior and one junior. While Lance Stroll is by no means a junior or a relatively inexperienced driver, he certainly isn’t a senior figure that can drive the team forward. Fernando Alonso may well be the most experienced driver on the grid, but he is a 41-year-old at the end of the day. Despite that, Lawrence Stroll took a bet on the Spaniard and that seems to have paid off. It is the man from Oviedo who is doing the talking on the track. And he recently lauded Lawrence for getting the team where it is.

When the 2023 season kicked off in Bahrain, the green Aston Martin caught everyone by surprise. While Lance finished ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, Alonso went a step ahead and delivered a podium finish after overtaking old nemesis Lewis Hamilton and fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz. The 2x champion continued the great run in the second race in Jeddah with another P3 finish. However, it’s the team owner’s $240 million vision that he credits for the team’s out-of-the-blue success.

Dazn recently quoted the Asturian driver as saying, “I’m very happy, very proud. I think he has this vision of having a winning team in the near future, whatever it takes. When he has an idea, it’s usually successful, so it’s interesting to have a leader like Lawrence, because you know you have everything you need and the equipment is in good hands.” [Translated using Google]

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Alonso may pass the credit for the team’s success on to Lawrence. However, it’s his own feedback that deserves equal recognition. If you ask Natalie Pinkham, it is the synergy between the two that has worked wonders for the Silverstone-based team.

Fernando Alonso and Lawrence Stroll’s past is a big factor in their friendship

In the modern F1 era, you don’t often see a 41-year-old driver. You also don’t see a perennially midfield-team rise against all odds and leave a team like Mercedes scratching their heads. But then neither is Fernando a regular 41-year-old nor is Aston Martin run by any other team owner. And then their paths cross and they together end up putting up a phenomenal show. What are the odds?

In a recent episode of the F1 Nation podcast, F1 journalist Natalie Pinkham said, “Fernando says they’ve known each other a long time. So, [they] clearly know what makes the other one tick. I think there’s a couple of reasons behind this. One is that Fernando is grateful for this opportunity at this stage of his career. He’s actually found himself in a competitive car, can leave on his own terms on a high. Which is what all racing drivers want.”

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It is surprising how a team that buys a number of parts for its car from Mercedes ends up beating them at their own game. Why don’t you drop your predictions for the upcoming Australian GP?