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Lance Stroll out-qualified Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso for the first time in 42 race weekends at the Barcelona Grand Prix, but offered a very blunt verdict when asked about the statistic inside the F1 paddock.
Both Aston Martins will be occupying the last row of the grid for Sunday’s Barcelona Grand Prix, but for the first time since the 2024 British GP, Lance Stroll will be starting ahead of his teammate, Fernando Alonso.
Lance Stroll out-qualifies Fernando Alonso for the first time in 43 Grands Prix! 😮 Will he still be in front of his teammate at the chequered flag?
Despite securing their first point of 2026 at last weekend’s Monaco GP, Alonso was off the pace during Saturday’s shootout in Montmelo, with the Canadian driver eking out an advantage of 0.057s on his final flying lap of Q1.
It was a disappointing session for the home hero, who, during his Thursday afternoon media duties, noted that this year’s Barcelona GP may be his final appearance at the Spanish circuit in F1. It will next appear on the calendar in 2028.
- READ MORE: Otmar Szafnauer says Fernando Alonso will stay in F1 as long as he’s beating Lance Stroll
Lance Stroll issues blunt verdict on out-qualifying Fernando Alonso after 42 attempts
Following a double exit for Aston Martin in Q1 at Barcelona, Stroll didn’t seem pleased about ending Alonso’s nearly two-year-long streak of superiority over a single lap.
Fernando Alonso is being linked with a shock return to Alpine 😳 Would you like to see a reunion in 2027?
As reported by F1 journalist Nate Saunders on X (formerly Twitter), Stroll replied, “I don’t care,” after being asked for his thoughts on putting an end to the streak.
He was then asked whether it would have meant more if they were competing further up the field, rather than for P21 and P22, respectively.
The 27-year-old bluntly responded, “I don’t know. I don’t give a s—.”
The poor performance of Aston Martin’s 2026 challenger, the AMR26, is likely to be behind Stroll’s disinterested responses. During the Monaco GP, keen-eyed residents of the paddock spotted Alonso looking exhausted with the ongoing narrative of their issues.
Stroll’s demeanour, specifically, has come under fire during the Silverstone-based outfit’s struggles. While Alonso’s motivation has largely remained the same, his teammate’s patience looks to be hanging by a thread.
- READ MORE: Lance Stroll didn’t say a single word on Aston Martin team radio during the Chinese Grand Prix
Lance Stroll’s F1 rivals think he is lacking ‘passion’ for Formula 1
Stroll has widely been regarded as the grid’s resident pay driver, given his father, Lawrence Stroll’s, ownership of the Aston Martin outfit.
As such, some of his rivals on the F1 grid privately believe that Stroll lacks the same passion for the sport as them.
His blunt communications in the media pen aren’t exclusive to this season; the Canadian has often been relatively stone-faced in his post-session debriefs with the press since he joined the sport in 2017.
Stroll’s motivations have also been questioned during Grands Prix. During his home race in May, Stroll told his race engineer that he was only finishing the race for his father and the engineers in attendance.
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