Fernando Alonso fires strange dig at Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll after what he’s ‘read’

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Fernando Alonso is perhaps the only driver on the Formula 1 grid who can say his championship position is already sealed. Heading into this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, he sits in a somewhat lonely ninth place.

Alonso and Aston Martin started the year at a similar level to Mercedes. That enabled him to secure some big points hauls, like fifth in Saudi Arabia and sixth in Japan.

Aston’s early-season form could prove to be vital in determining their prize money, because they’ve since regressed. It’s now unclear whether they’ll be able to finish in the points at any given weekend.

Alonso’s haul of 49 points leaves him 67 behind George Russell – a gap that’s only likely to grow from this point. Mercedes have surged forward into the battle for race wins.

Equally, though, he’s 25 ahead of Aston teammate Lance Stroll. Given the gulf in class and the rate at which Aston will probably score, he’s unlikely to overturn that deficit.

For Alonso, the focus from this point may be on what he can learn for 2025. The regulation changes in 18 months’ time present his last opportunity to win a 33rd Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso points out that he has double the points of Lance Stroll

Alonso thrashed Stroll in the Aston Martin battle last season, beating him 18-4 in the races and 19-3 in qualifying. But the Canadian’s efforts this season have been much more respectable.

While he still trails both head-to-heads, he’s only 8-6 down in each. That means he’s already eclipsed his intra-team ‘victories’ from last year.

Alonso insists Stroll is doing a ‘great job’ but rejects any notion that he’s regressed. In fact, he pointed out that he’s still more than doubled the 25-year-old’s tally.

These comments are unlikely to go down particularly well with team owner Lawrence Stroll. Max Verstappen (277-131 against Sergio Perez) and Yuki Tsunoda (22-12 against Daniel Ricciardo) have outscored their teammates to a comparable extent, while Nico Hulkenberg (22-5 against Kevin Magnussen) has been even more dominant.

“Lance Stroll is doing a great job this year, in one of my worst seasons, as I have read in some news, I have double the points,” Alonso told Soy Motor. “I’m not sure, but there aren’t many drivers who can double their teammate’s points on any team on the grid.”

How the Dutch Grand Prix fans feel about Fernando Alonso

At 43 years old, Alonso is the most experienced driver in F1 history with 391 race starts under his belt. He’ll hit 400 at the penultimate round of the season in Qatar.

Alonso is one of the top five most popular drivers on the grid, according to a recent poll. Many are willing him on to end a victory drought that stretches back to Spain 2013.

The Zandvoort crowd are big fans of Alonso, who’s one of three drivers likely to receive good support alongside home hero Max Verstappen. The others are Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris.

Alonso could be forgiven if he was suffering from a lack of motivation given his team’s current situation. But Aston Martin’s prospective move for Adrian Newey, following earlier swoops for Andy Cowell and Enrico Cardile, will inspire hope of a dream farewell.