Lance Stroll has had a difficult start to the 2023 season as he has been far off the pace in comparison to Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso. And with Lance’s father, Lawrence, issuing him a new challenge, things are unlikely to get any easier for the young Canadian. Amidst these struggles, veteran Alonso has offered Lance some key advice.
The key reason Lance has come under so much pressure is because of the ongoing nepotism debate. Many believe that the only reason Lawrence owns the Aston Martin team is to give Lance a drive. While the Canadian billionaire has dismissed these claims, the rumors will not rest until Lance proves his worth.
And Lawrence’s ultimate challenge may help his son do just that. As for this weekend, Lawrence hopes that both Lance and Alonso can finish on the podium. And moving forward, Lawrence wants his son to close the gap to Alonso and eventually match him.
Alonso wants Stroll to be more consistent moving forward
While it is likely to be difficult for any teammate to match double world champion, Fernando Alonso, the gap between the Spaniard and Lance Stroll seems shocking. After the first seven races, Alonso has already clinched five podiums.
On the other hand, Stroll had the best result of fourth in the Australia GP. Since Stroll has often been inconsistent, Alonso explained during the press conference how important it is for the Canadian to be consistent.
As quoted by Junaid, the 41-year-old said, “The most important thing for him now is to get consistency, weekend after weekend. In the past he has repeatedly shown up selectively, for example in the wet. In other cases the result didn’t come, the weekend wasn’t smooth“.
Already in the Montréal mood! 😄#CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/C4fmjiLlR3
— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) June 15, 2023
After explaining how important it is for Stroll to be consistent, the Spaniard ended his remarks by stating that it is only a matter of time before the Canadian takes the next big step. With Alonso having shown the potential of the Aston Martin week in and week out, the pressure is undoubtedly on Stroll to now deliver.
Fernando Alonso has backed Lance Stroll on various occasions
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll seem to share an incredible partnership because of the amount of respect and support the two have consistently shown each other. In most cases, it is the teammates that are each other’s biggest rivals.
However, that does not seem to be the case at Aston Martin. Alonso has explained on various occasions that the two drivers are at different stages of their careers and that he wants to help Stroll become world champion in the future.
Even though many have raised concerns about Stroll’s future in F1, Alonso has still come to the Canadian’s defense. While speaking during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, Alonso explained how Stroll has been more unlucky rather than poor during race weekends.
“In Bahrain, he drove one-handed and was damn fast. In Jeddah, he was ahead of the Ferraris when the exhaust broke. (Then) in Miami, they gambled too much in Q1 where they wanted to save a set of tires. In Monte Carlo, he damaged his car on debris from a McLaren in qualifying. I don’t think it’s fair to criticize him for that,” explained Alonso (as quoted by grandprix.com).
