Damon Hill has urged Lance Stroll to end Fernando Alonso’s career at Aston Martin if he has to come out as an “undisputed king” in the team. This comes after Stroll has largely played a second fiddle to the two-time world champion so far in the 2023 F1 season.
Talking about this, Hill said in F1 Nation Podcast, “He’d have to set his goal as ending Fernando Alonso’s career.” When it didn’t sound quite right, the 1996 F1 champion broke it down with authentic examples for everyone to understand.
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Saying, “Now that sounds brutal,” Hill went on to give examples of George Russell of how he’s trying to do the same to Lewis Hamilton in Mercedes. Followed by Nico Hulkenberg trying the same thing to Kevin Magnussen in Haas.
If the Canadian needs to go to the next level and be a world champion, at first he needs to do it in the team, against Alonso till he is here. It’s all about dominance and taking the control of the team to be the “Undisputed king“, Hill believes.
How good is Stroll as compared to Alonso?
Well, statistically, the Canadian is no match for the Spanish driver, but that doesn’t mean he can never beat the two-time world champion in the same machinery.
Stroll’s talent and commitment to the sport cannot be questioned even though he has financial backup from his father, Lawrence Stroll, who’s the owner of the team. The way he has come back to race after injuring himself in a bike accident is praiseworthy.
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Furthermore, with the right car underneath, the 24-year-old can spark real surprises. As seen this year, as well as during Racing Point’s era, most importantly in the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, where he picked up his first pole position.
Where does Stroll stand as compared to Alonso in 2023?
For the time being, the Montreal-born driver is quite far out when it comes to his teammate. Alonso, after having three back-to-back podiums, thanks to multiple retirements and penalties, is in a good position at the points table.
Alonso amassed 45 points so far in three races, whereas Stroll has 20. The numbers don’t say the entire story since the Canadian driver had an unfortunate DNF in Saudi Arabia.
However, Lance Stroll has enough potential to go against Fernando Alonso and beat him in the same car. But he needs to watch out and grind harder because he’s up against one of the world’s best.
