Fernando Alonso has so far enjoyed great chemistry with his Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll. However, Peter Windsor believes the emotions will fade quickly when Stroll catches up to his world-champion teammate.
The Spaniard has a history of being an extremely difficult teammate. In the past, he had heated rivalries with former teammates like Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa, and Esteban Ocon and has gained a reputation for his toxic trait.
Alonso has managed to remain ahead of Stroll in his new team. But the Spanish GP marked the first instance when the Canadian out-qualified the Spaniard. Further tensions could rise if he sees Stroll as a threat to his campaign.
“Wait till Lance Stroll passes Fernando Alonso,” warns F1 pundit
So far, Fernando Alonso has enjoyed a healthy bond with Lance Stroll. The 41-year-old has often helped out or praised Stroll on team radio, even hailing the Canadian as a future world champion. Peter Windsor claims this is due to Stroll’s father owning the team.
The pundit claimed on his YouTube channel, “Fernando right now is being ridiculously over the top trying to help Lance Stroll. Partly because Lance is struggling and partly because he knows it’s good for his coin with Lance’s dad.”
Windsor believes Alonso’s camaraderie could fade once the Canadian starts challenging him. He added, “You can read it from a mile away. Wait, the day Lance Stroll passes Fernando Alonso in qualifying, let’s see how kind Fernando is to Lance that day.”
Stroll out-qualified his teammate during Alonso’s home race in Spain for the first time. Alonso qualified P9, while the Canadian qualified P6 for the race. The Canadian also finished a position ahead of the 2x world champion. But it seems Alonso has shown signs of his anarchic teammate traits from his post-race reactions.
Alonso blames Lance Stroll for Aston Martin’s lack of points
Fernando Alonso had a rather forgetful home Grand Prix. He could not continue his streak of podiums in front of his home support. Moreover, Aston Martin was overtaken by Mercedes in the constructor’s championship, thanks to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s double podium.
Alonso believes Mercedes will be his team’s biggest threat this season. He also blamed his teammate Lance Stroll’s inconsistency for being part of the reason why Aston dropped from 2nd to 3rd.
He told Sky Sports, “They are a concern for us and have been all year long. They have very consistent drivers as well,” taking a dig at his Canadian teammate.
Alonso added, “For us, we have a fast car, but they seem to score with only one car or have more trouble in the race.” This is true if you look at Alonso’s contribution to the team’s tally.
After the 2023 Spanish GP, Aston Martin sits 3rd in the standings with 134 points. Of which, the 41-year-old old has secured 99, owing to his 5 podiums in the first 7 races. Stroll has only contributed 35 points; his best finish is a P4 in Melbourne.
If Aston wishes to fight for P2, Stroll must deliver consistent results. The Silverstone-based team will be bringing upgrades to the upcoming Canadian GP. However, Alonso lacks a good record at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which could give his teammate an edge in his home race.
