Aston Martin boss makes Fernando Alonso ‘invent things’ claim as Lance Stroll taught a lesson

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Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack feels Fernando Alonso taught Lance Stroll a ‘huge amount’ as teammates in 2023, whilst the F1 team also learned to not ‘invent things’.

The Silverstone squad signed Alonso to replace Sebastian Vettel from the 2023 season with a multi-year contract. His arrival from Alpine was also the start of a promising partnership as Aston Martin shot up the constructors’ championship. They had ended 2022 in just seventh.

Alonso took the AMR23 to six podiums through the opening eight Grand Prix and ended last year with eight from 22 rounds. The 42-year-old would also claim fourth place in the drivers’ standings on 206 points. Vettel was the team’s top driver in 2022 in 12th place on 37 points.

Fernando Alonso beat Lance Stroll 18-4 in their head-to-head as Aston Martin teammates

Fractures to both wrists following a cycling accident in the off-season meant Stroll could not take full advantage of the package Aston Martin brought at the start of the 2023 season like Alonso. The team’s plight in the 2023 development race also meant Stroll could not recover.

Stroll finished last season 10th in the drivers’ standings with 74 points, to help Aston Martin secure fifth in the teams’ standings. The Silverstone squad slipped behind Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren as their rivals made inroads into Aston Martin’s advantage through the season.

Tenth place in the drivers’ championship still marked a personal-best campaign for Stroll. He set his previous best in 2020 whilst the team still operated as Racing Point with P11. The 25-year-old also took more points in 2020 (75) than in 2023 (74) after his most recent podiums.

Mick Krack believes Fernando Alonso taught the Formula 1 team to not ‘invent things’

Stroll has not finished on a Grand Prix podium since securing his third career rostrum so far at the 2020 Sakhir GP. His best finish in 2023 was fourth at the Australian GP after the third red flag period negated the Canadian’s trip through the gravel trap after the second restart.

But while Stroll struggled to match Alonso’s results, Aston Martin team principal Krack feels he learned a lot from having the two-time F1 champion as his teammate. Krack also believes Alonso helped Aston Martin avoid ‘inventing things’ and trust the data the team had gained.

“Just like the team, Lance has learned a huge amount from Fernando,” Krack told Autosport. “Also, I think how to manage difficult situations, you always look [at] what your teammate is doing, how he’s behaving or is handling.

“We have all learned a great deal there – not trying to invent things but really stick to our data, stick to the analysis and move on from there.”

Alonso beat Stroll 18-4 in their Grand Prix results head-to-head through the 2023 Formula 1 season as Aston Martin teammates. The 2005 and 2006 champion also won their qualifying head-to-head 19-3, Sprint Shootout head-to-head 5-1 and even Sprint head-to-head 4-2.