The Aston Martin F1 team has had a flying start to the 2023 season as Fernando Alonso has already helped them clinch five podiums from the first seven races. Consequently of this form, the British outfit now finds themselves in third place in the Constructors’ Championship as compared to seventh last season. However, the problem for Aston Martin is that only Alonso has been delivering results consistently as Lance Stroll is yet to fire. Since the Canadian is struggling to deliver results, his billionaire father, Lawrence Stroll, has seemingly raised the pressure on him by giving him a target.
And the target is far from easy, as Lawrence wants Lance to match Alonso. First, Lawrence wants both Lance and Alonso to get a double podium for Aston Martin this weekend in Canada. And secondly, Lawrence wants his son to have scored a similar number of points to Alonso by the end of the season.
It is fair to say that having Alonso as a teammate for any driver is not easy, and the stats show exactly the same thing. After the first seven races, Alonso has a 6-1 record over Stroll. The only race where the Canadian outperformed the Spaniard was the last race in Spain.
Considering the staggering difference in performance between the two, their championship standings also reflect the same thing. Alonso is currently third in the championship with 99 points, while Lance is all the way down in eighth with just 35 points.
Lance Stroll is struggling to match Fernando Alonso
Even though Lance Stroll kickstarted the 2023 season with some significant problems following his accident, the Canadian has still struggled to match Fernando Alonso even in recent races. After the first seven races, Alonso has already finished on the podium on five occasions, while Lance has managed a best finish of fourth in Australia.
Despite Lance’s struggles, Lawrence believes that the performance that his son showcased at the Circuit de Catalunya in the last race is reflective of the potential that the 24-year-old has. Hence, Lawrence now hopes that his son can carry on with this performance in the upcoming races and is soon able to match Alonso consistently.
While speaking of his expectations for the Canadian GP this weekend, Lawrence said (as quoted by espn.in), “I think he [Lance] demonstrated in Barcelona he’s now starting. It took six or seven races, to feel better. I believe they [the two drivers] will be equal by the end of the season“.
Along with these remarks, Lawrence also stated that he hopes that the upgrades that his team has brought can help his two drivers clinch a double podium in Montreal. He believes that this is a realistic possibility as the Montreal Circuit suits Aston Martin.
Will Alonso continue at Aston Martin after the team’s new deal with Honda?
Aston Martin made a shocking announcement last month when they revealed that they would be parting ways with Mercedes from the 2026 season onwards. With the rules set to change from the 2026 season onwards, Aston Martin has big plans as they will enter with a partnership with Honda to operate as a works team.
Following this announcement, several reports emerged that Fernando Alonso may leave the team. However, Lawrence Stroll seems to have dismissed any such suggestions.
In the same interview, the Canadian explained that 2026 is far ahead from now, and hence, no one will know of the future. However, he made it clear that one should “never say never” when it comes to Alonso continuing with the team.
