Fernando Alonso has proven to be something of a breakout star in the F1 2023 campaign, claiming six podiums and sitting third in the Driver’s Standings.
Meanwhile, his Aston Martin teammate, Lance Stroll, has not seen similar success, with this year’s highlight being a fourth-placed finish at the crash-hit Australian Grand Prix.
Discussing Alonso’s form, the Canadian driver said: “For sure, in terms of just outright pace, he’s been more on top of it than me.
“He’s been quicker, and he’s been driving incredibly well. I don’t think we as a team have gotten the most out of our weekends.
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“I think we haven’t shown some of our true results but there’s definitely some work to do, and some things to improve.”
Stroll has a few explanations for his poor spate of form, citing his car, and a lack of training time before the onset of the season.
The Aston Martin driver identifies the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as a low point from which his season has yet to recover – but says that the start of the season was stronger.
The Canadian believes that he can rediscover his form and potential, displayed in Bahrain, where he finished sixth behind Lewis Hamilton in a highly competitive race.
He says that the key to a return to form lies in the small details.
Stroll says: “It is details and it’s also circumstances. I think things like in Miami, trying to get out of Q1 on one set.
“He (Alonso) did the same as me, he just got through by one-tenth and I missed it by one-tenth. And then you put on the new sets and afterwards, I’m in 17th and he is in Q3.
“It was the same thing in Monaco. We had floor damage, and then Monaco you cannot recover if you start 12th/13th, where we started, and that cost us the weekend.”
As well as minute details such as these tripping his performances up, Stroll also acknowledges that Alonso is simply quicker than him.
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However, rather than jealously living in his shadow, Stroll uses Alonso’s form as a source of inspiration for his own improvement.
Speaking about Alonso, Stroll remarked: “With this car, he’s pushing it to the limit and finishing pretty much behind Max at every race. “
“So it’s very impressive. And I’m definitely motivated to push and get to that level.”