Fernando Alonso admits 25-year-old F1 rival has ‘surprised’ Aston Martin driver

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Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso has now admitted why Lance Stroll ‘surprised’ the two-time Formula 1 champion through their first season as teammates in 2023.

The Silverstone team hired Alonso to replace Sebastian Vettel beside Stroll after the German announced his retirement last year. Aston Martin moved quickly to agree a deal to steal him from Alpine. Alonso would also hit the ground running upon arriving at the start of this year.

But while Alonso took the AMR23 to six podium finishes over the first eight races, Stroll was already struggling. The 25-year-old was not able to match the 42-year-old’s performances with equal machinery. His best result of 2023 came at April’s Australian Grand Prix in fourth.

Fernando Alonso hit the ground running at Aston Martin as Lance Stroll struggled

Stroll did impress at the season-opening Bahrain GP after coming home in P6 despite having to protect his wrists. The Canadian often took his hands off the steering wheel in the race as he continued to recover from surgery on his wrists. Stroll had a bicycle accident in February.

His efforts to build momentum also hit a further snag as Aston Martin failed to maintain the competitiveness of the AMR23. The team found themselves falling further and further down the Formula 1 grid whilst rival teams in McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari developed their cars.

Lance Stroll’s dedication through the 2023 F1 season impressed Fernando Alonso

Stroll hit a particularly shaky vein of form after the summer break. He failed to score a single point in six of the final 10 rounds. Aston Martin even withdrew Stroll from the Singapore GP in September as a result of a high-speed crash during qualifying as it destroyed his AMR23.

But Stroll surprised and impressed Alonso with his endless dedication to get his year back on track for Aston Martin. The Canadian ended the year with successive fifth-place results at the Sao Paulo and Las Vegas Grand Prix. Stroll even edged Alonso to qualify in third in Brazil.

“He’s been through some difficulties this year,” Alonso said, via quotes by Motorsport Week. “The car was just changing the behaviour a little bit and he was just struggling a little bit more than me. Now, we fixed [a] few things in the car and he’s back to the top form.

“It was impressive to see his dedication and his motivation in the highs and in the lows. At the beginning of the year with the broken hand, and then midway through the season with some difficulties, he was so determined to put things back in place again.

“Eventually, he did, after I think Mexico and then the race in Brazil, the race in Vegas. This was a surprise to me, to be honest, the level of commitment and the level of motivation that he has. So, this is only good news and good things for the team.”