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Alonso backs Stroll: 'I don't think he lacks the speed'

Alonso backs Stroll: 'I don't think he lacks the speed'

01-06-2023 20:05
13

GPblog.com

Without an excellent second driver, it will be a hell of a task for Aston Martin to take the final step to the top. To capture the constructors' title at any point, it needs two drivers who structurally score a lot of points. The team under construction already has Fernando Alonso, who is currently even third in the drivers' championship. Teammate Lance Stroll remains far behind (for now).

With two cars at the top of the field, it is easier for Aston Martin to split the strategy and also put pressure on the competition. So far, it has failed to do so, as Stroll cannot match the pace of his seasoned teammate. Stroll junior, the son of team owner Lawrence, had to recover from a wrist injury for the first few races of the season, which explained why he could not keep up with Alonso. Yet the last Grands Prix, the currently fit Stroll did not come close to the two-time world champion either.

'One-handed'

Whether Stroll is providing enough support was the question put to Alonso by the media, including GPblog. "Yes absolutely," the Spaniard responded. "I think with Lance, he has been very, very unlucky the last two events. I think if we go back to Bahrain, driving with one hand, he was very fast. Then, Jeddah, he had the exhaust problem when he was in front of the Ferraris in P5. Then, in Miami, we were risking too much probably in Q1. That compromised the race. In Monaco, the debris from the McLaren, completely compromised the whole weekend. "

So as bad as it might suggest, Alonso thinks it is not all. "Obviously, the headlines are very easy to be hard on that. I think if you see the whole weekend, even in Monaco, FP3, he was within one-tenth and a half of the fastest. He's providing the right feedback, info and strategy about everything. I really hope for him that he has a little bit more luck because I don't think that he's missing any pace. It's just opportunistic moments that were not in his favour."