Lance Stroll, during his childhood, saw Fernando Alonso as a villain against Michael Schumacher but now is happy to have him as a teammate.
In 2005, a young Fernando Alonso, who was in his mid-twenties, rose up to end the dominance of Michael Schumacher in F1. The Spaniard won the two championships back to back to cement his name among the all-time greats and slam a nail in Ferrari’s unstoppable force.
Schumacher always had a passionate fan backing, including Lance Stroll, the current F1 driver for Aston Martin. Thus, as admitted by him, he used to see Alonso as a villain.
But now, the Spaniard will partner with him at Aston Martin, after Stroll’s father offered him a $20 million contract. And now, the 23-year-old is glad the legendary driver will partner with him at the Silverstone-based team.
“I watched [Fernando] on TV in 2004, 2005, 2006 – when he won his titles and was fighting against [Michael] Schumacher,” Stroll told the French subsidiary of Motorsport.com.
“I was a fan of Schumacher. [Alonso] was the bad guy in my eyes! I was six years old, and he was the bad guy, like in the movies. But he was always super-exciting to watch. And he still is. He’s one of the best drivers. He’s still very lively at around 42 years old.”
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Alonso breaking ties with Alpine and joining Aston Martin for 2023 by replacing Sebastian Vettel was surprising for most F1 fans. However, the Lawrence Stroll-led team have plans with the Spaniard.
Aston Martin boss Mike Krack believes that Alonso will take them to the cusp of glory and make them the title contenders before he leaves. According to Alonso, he sees himself a couple of years more in F1 and wants to add success to his new team under his portfolio.
Only time will tell whether Aston Martin, who emerged with massive promises in 2021, will be tasting success for the first time or not. Though, putting money on Alonso isn’t a bad idea at all, giving him a car capable enough is the biggest challenge.
