The performance gap between Lance Stroll and his teammate Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin has been evident throughout the season. While Alonso played a key role in the team’s success, Stroll struggled to make a bigger impact. Recently, Joan Villadelprat, former Formula 1 team manager, raised concerns about Stroll’s chances of keeping up with Alonso.
Fernando Alonso has never been outscored in terms of points by any teammate over the period of them being teammates
He has been in F1 for 18 seasons
Had 13 different teammates
4 of them World Champions
8 of them race winnersBut no one could score more points than him 🙌 pic.twitter.com/RqIEkagmws
— Aadarsh (@aadarshf1) October 2, 2021
Fernando Alonso has been a class apart from his Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll this season, with the Spaniard outperforming the Canadian. Alonso has secured all seven of Aston Martin’s podium finishes and currently sits third in the drivers’ standings. However, Stroll is ninth in the standings with 47 points, unable to match his teammate’s performance.
However, Aston Martin has moved to quell those rumors, confirming that Stroll will remain with the team for the 2024 season.
Villadelprat questions Stroll’s place at Aston Martin
Former Formula 1 team boss Joan Villadelprat has questioned Lance Stroll’s position at Aston Martin. Villadelprat believes that relying solely on the performance of Fernando Alonso is not a sustainable option for the club.
Talking about this, Villadelprat stated, “With Fernando Alonso in the team, Aston Martin is playing only with Messi. They need someone else to help him because they are not going to win with only one driver.”
Villadelprat is referring to the fact that Fernando Alonso is a very talented driver, but he is not getting any younger. He believes that Aston Martin need another driver who can challenge Alonso and help the team move up the grid.
Damon Hill, Former World Champion, has also questioned Lance Stroll future at Aston Martin. Hill said Aston Martin “can’t go ahead with Lance Stroll” if they want to be a title contender.
Aston Martin’s title hopes
Stroll, 24, is believed to be a talented tennis player during his childhood. In recent months, there have been rumors that Stroll could switch careers to tennis. F1 journalist Ben Anderson even suggested that Stroll is contemplating a career switch to tennis as he was unable to match Alonso’s performance. However, the report turned out to be false.
🚨🟢| There is a rumour that Lance Stroll is considering leaving F1 to become a professional Tennis player
👉Appearing on The Race podcast, respected journalist Ben Anderson – the former editor of the GP Racing magazine – referenced rumours that Stroll is contemplating a… pic.twitter.com/RuwGId5I91
— Aston Martin Formula 1 News (@AMF1News) August 23, 2023
The Canadian driver is the son of Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll, has been in F1 since 2017, but has yet to win a race. Many believe that Stroll is only in the team because of his father’s money.
Lance Stroll is currently secured with his next year’s drive at Aston Martin. However, experts believe that Aston Martin cannot aim for the title with Stroll in the driving seat. The British team need to decide whether Stroll is the right driver for them if they want to win a championship.