1996 Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill has warned Lance Stroll that he needs to start taking the fight to Aston Martin team-mate Fernando Alonso, with the Canadian having spent this season so far in the Spaniard’s shadow.
Stroll has made a solid start to the 2023 F1 season; however, his performances have been overshadowed due to Alonso’s sensational start to life at the Silverstone-based team.
Alonso has started the new season with three consecutive podiums, whilst Stroll’s best finish so far is fourth at the Australian Grand Prix.
Being in Alonso’s shadow certainly isn’t a good look for Stroll, whose father is, of course, the owner of the team.
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With all of that in mind, Hill has fired a warning to Stroll to become the “undisputed king” at Aston Martin, to save his F1 career.
“It [form] has to be maintained, sustained over time – it’s no good, just a blip, a one-off event,” Hill said on the F1 Nation podcast.
“So he’d have to make it his ambition this year. He’d have to set his goal as ending Fernando Alonso’s career. Now that sounds brutal, but that’s what George Russell is trying to do [against Lewis Hamilton].
“That’s what Nico Hulkenberg is trying to do with (Kevin) Magnussen – you have to establish yourself as the undisputed king, number one in that team.”
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The biggest issue for Stroll is that Alonso doesn’t look set to slow down anytime soon, with the double World Champion having recently revealed that he believes “the third title is possible” now that he’s at Aston Martin.
“That’s why I keep racing obviously. You know the challenge is big, you know that you need to obviously overcome some difficulties and some top teams that are now on top of the sport,” Alonso told Bang & Olufsen’s YouTube channel.
“But year, I race every, every day and I train every day thinking that the third title is possible. I’m still fresh, I’m still motivated, I still enjoy every single day. I wake up in the morning and I’m happy of what I’m doing, so yeah there is a few more years I think more for me and hopefully with a title contender in the future.”