Enrico Cardile admits Lance Stroll now ‘definitely’ reminds him of one Formula 1 world champion

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Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll has had a difficult season racing for a team who are fully focused on next year’s car.

After the most recent United States Grand Prix, Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso suggested that he had dragged the ‘ninth-fastest’ car on the grid to a 10th-place finish.

Aston Martin currently sit seventh in the constructors’ championship, and no team’s two drivers are more closely matched in the standings right now than Alonso and Lance Stroll.

Stroll currently holds the record for most Q1 exits in Formula 1 history, a feat he doesn’t want to be reminded of.

He exited once again at the first stage of qualifying in Austin, and started from the back row after picking up a five-place grid penalty for ending his and Esteban Ocon’s Sprint Race with a poorly-judged move going into turn one.

The Canadian driver currently sits third on the all-time list of most Grand Prix entries without a race win, behind Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg and Andrea de Cesaris.

Aston Martin’s hope for 2026 is to be competitive enough to challenge for victories, but Stroll will need to beat his teammate if their car is suddenly that fast.

Chairman Lawrence Stroll’s most high-profile move ahead of F1’s upcoming regulations changes was to sign Adrian Newey from Red Bull and secure exclusive access to Honda’s power units.

However, Enrico Cardile has just joined the team from Ferrari as chief technical officer, and in his role overseeing everything across Aston Martin’s new state-of-the-art factory, he’s also shared what’s surprised him since working with the Canadian driver.

READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Enrico Cardile compares working with Lance Stroll to Kimi Raikkonen

Cardile was asked on the Beyond The Grid Podcast what surprised him about working with Stroll, and he said: “He’s a very talented guy. He talks less than Fernando.

“Perhaps he’s even sharper than Fernando. The nice thing for us is they are pretty much aligned, which is, I would say, simplifying our lives, because we are receiving comments which are along the same side.

“They have a different sensibility on different aspects of driving, but they are just the details.”

When journalist Tom Clarkson heard Cardile state that Stroll speaks less than Alonso, he admitted it reminded him of Raikkonen.

Cardile said when making the comparison: “Yes, definitely. You knew Kimi, definitely, yes.”

READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Lance Stroll has pleasantly surprised Adrian Newey behind the scenes at Aston Martin

Stroll and Raikkonen shared a Formula 1 track for several years, both fighting in the midfield while the one-time champion was racing for Alfa Romeo.

Back in 2019, the pair clashed at the Monaco Grand Prix, and Raikkonen wasn’t impressed with the then-Racing Point driver.

Stroll is currently on the longest losing streak to a teammate in qualifying in Formula 1, with Alonso beating him over one lap for the last 31 races.

The Spaniard’s not necessarily known as a qualifying expert, but he has so much more experience than Stroll that it’s hardly a surprise that he’s been so dominant.

Cardile sounds impressed with the 26-year-old behind the scenes, and that sentiment is shared by Newey.

Ralf Schumacher admitted Newey has been pleasantly surprised with Stroll since they started working together at Aston Martin.

Now, it’s up to Stroll to act more like Raikkonen on the track and not just off it.