Aston Martin has had a resurgence of form with Fernando Alonso leading the team to the front of the grid. However, despite Alonso’s frequent podiums, his teammate Lance Stroll has not been able to maximize the potential of the car. A series of dismal performances has led to people questioning Stroll’s capability. However, Alonso has always backed up Stroll. According to Reuters, Alonso claims that luck, and not pace, has been the main deciding factor behind Stroll’s poor run of form.
Stroll had a shaky start to the season as he recovered from his wrist injury following a biking accident before the start of the season. He finished P6 at the season opener in Bahrain. In Saudi Arabia, Stroll had to retire with an engine problem. He found some luck in Australia and Azerbaijan as he finished P4 and P7 respectively. However, inconsistency crept into his performance as he finished outside the points in Miami and crashed out in Monaco.
Despite this inconsistent run of form, Fernando Alonso has always stood by Stroll’s side. There is a glaring difference between the performance of the two teammates in a similar car. But Fernando Alonso has appreciated Stroll throughout the season. He even went to the lengths of calling Stroll a future world champion in the making.
Fernando Alonso defends Lance Stroll yet again
With Formula 1 heading to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso has said that Stroll’s poor results are not because he lacks pace. It is due to back luck and that is all. Alonso’s claim can be backed up by the fact that Stroll had to retire in Jeddah through no fault of his own, his qualifying was compromised in Miami after a tire choice miscalculation, and in Monaco, he was squeezed out at the entry of the hairpin.
“I think Lance has been very, very unlucky the last two events,” Alonso told the media. “So I really hope for him that he has a little more luck because I don’t think that he’s missing any pace. It’s just opportunistic moments that were not on his side.”
Monaco. All set 💪. @AstonMartinF1 @astonmartin @lance_stroll #f1 #monaco pic.twitter.com/BPU56W2RPS
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) May 25, 2023
Alonso also pointed out that Stroll has been instrumental in providing the team with proper data to help improve their performance. “He has provided the right feedback, info, and strategy about everything,” said Alonso. This has played a major part in the recent successes of the British team.
Lance Stroll’s inconsistency is his biggest enemy
Not everything has been bad for Stroll this season. The Canadian wasn’t even expected to feature in the season opener at Bahrain after he suffered a wrist fracture just three weeks before the start of the season. However, he made an impressive recovery and managed to finish a respectable P6 in the race. He also finished P4 in Australia and just missed out on the podium.
Stroll does not have much to worry about in terms of consequences for his poor results. His seat is one of the most secure Formula 1 seats currently. His father, Lawrence Stroll is the owner of the Aston Martin Formula 1 team and it is expected that he will keep his son in the seat no matter what happens.
However, Stroll does need to find his own luck if the team has to compete for second place in the Constructor’s championship. They are currently just one point clear of Mercedes in the standings. Lance Stroll has a paltry 27 points compared to Alonso’s 93. The Canadian needs to start putting in some good performances if he wants to help his father’s team reach their goals.
