Lance Stroll remains defiant against his critics, arguing that his record against teammate Fernando Alonso in recent events is strong. The Canadian believes that he is performing at a good level relative to Alonso in 2024. Despite being outclassed by Alonso last year, Stroll is happy to use the last few rounds to defend his abilities.
For the last twelve months, there has been more scrutiny on Lance Stroll than usual. In previous years, he could somewhat slip under the radar – since he generally raced in the midfield.
However, that all changed in 2023. Aston Martin produced a front-running car, which coincided with Fernando Alonso’s arrival. The deficit between the two Aston Martin drivers was significant, and it only widened as the year progressed.
This year, Alonso has experienced a dip in form over the last few races.
Mistakes cost him in Australia, Imola and Monaco qualifying. Still, in terms of pure pace, the Spaniard is still several steps ahead of Stroll. This is reflected most clearly in race pace and the overall drivers’ standings.
With that said, Lance Stroll sees things differently. TSN quotes the 25-year-old’s recent comments to the media:
“He’s a two-time world champion, and people see him as a top driver in Formula One, and it’s 4-4 in quali.
“The points are a little bit deceiving because sometimes one guy can have an engine failure … that sometimes differentiates the points at the end of the season.”
“I look at my last few weekends, and I think they’ve been strong.
“When I look at pace right now, and speed, like I said, 4-4 in quali. People say he’s super good, and I beat him the last few weekends, so take it as you want.”
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Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR24
Of course, Stroll has cherry-picked a very convenient set of results to suit his narrative. The last few qualifying sessions may look slightly better for him on paper, but this is more because of Alonso’s mistakes than anything else.
Overall, he remains significantly slower than his Aston Martin counterpart. Still, the Canadian will cling to whatever data he can to defend his record.
Owing to his father’s ownership of the team, Lance Stroll can count on continued support from the Silverstone-based operation.
