Lance Stroll and Aston Martin had a rather forgettable Spanish GP, where they were comprehensively outperformed by both Mercedes cars. After the race, the Canadian driver admitted to being surprised, as not only did he feel they were better than Mercedes, but he also thought they were close to Red Bull.
Aston Martin didn’t quite find the right tuning during qualifying on Saturday ahead of the race. Stroll managed to get a decent starting position of P6, three places ahead of his teammate Fernando Alonso. Even though they didn’t start from a good position, they were expecting to make up for it in the race, but couldn’t.
Off in a flash! ⚡️@lance_stroll was lightning quick off the line at the #SpanishGP.
🎥 x @F1 pic.twitter.com/j5AncPne3r
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) June 5, 2023
Stroll finished where he started and Alonso finished behind him in seventh. The Mercedes cars meanwhile, couldn’t be stopped by anyone, even Red Bull driver Sergio Perez. They became the only team after Red Bull to earn a double podium finish in 2023. Lewis Hamilton finished second followed by George Russell in third.
Lance Stroll got surprised by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s pace
Stroll was baffled to see Hamilton and Russell’s pace at the Spanish GP in Barcelona. He labeled the W14 as a “rocketship”, even though heading into the race, he felt that his team was closer to Red Bull.
As reported by Motorsport, Stroll said, “Mercedes had a rocket ship. I’m not sure where they found that pace. I was expecting us to be the strongest car after Red Bull. I expected that after all the races this year. We just didn’t have it.”
Two drivers. One incredible crowd. 💚
We felt your support all weekend, and it continues to live on in our hearts, driving us towards the next race.
¡Gracias España!#IAM #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/FBr3CV694T
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) June 5, 2023
Stroll went on to say how Mercedes was in another league. The tyre degradation suffered by the AM23 on the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona track also added to their woes. It limited both his and Alonso’s ability to push for higher positions.
Fernando Alonso and Co. expect to bounce back in Canada
Aston Martin are now 18 points behind Mercedes in the constructors’ standings. The tides are seemingly beginning to turn in Mercedes’ favor, but Alonso feels that it was a one off situation. Mercedes’ upgrades did make them better, but the Spaniard expects the same fortune for them in the coming race in Montreal.
Alonso is sure about them gaining a big advantage over their rivals in the Canadian GP, and issued a stark warning to others about the same. Currently, Alonso is third in the drivers’ standings with 99 points to his name. Lance Stroll meanwhile, is 8th with 35 points.
