Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
Fernando Alonso has predicted Lance Stroll will become the leader of Aston Martin after the Spaniard leaves the cockpit.
Despite being in his sixth season with the Silverstone team, Stroll is overshadowed by Alonso who joined from Alpine in 2023 and serves as the senior figure. Nonetheless, with a 17-year age difference between them, Alonso believes Stroll has the potential to eventually take the lead within the team.
Fernando Alonso backs Lance Stroll for future Aston Martin ‘team leader’ role
Alonso has consistently outscored Stroll, accumulating 239 points compared to Stroll’s 85 points since becoming teammates. However, the team’s future seems to lie with Stroll due to his young age and his close association with his father, who is also the team owner, Lawrence Stroll.
Earlier this year, Alonso extended his contract until 2026 and expressed his support for Stroll to eventually assume the role of “team leader” within Aston Martin.
“When you arrive in Formula 1, you feel this competitiveness in the team, in the sport, that is brutal, but you’re a little bit shy because you are twenty-something and your team-mates are normally older, they have more experience,” Alonso told the Times.
Currently, my perspective has shifted. As the eldest member, I possess a greater amount of experience and bear the weight of responsibility in leading the team. It is not just the engineers that I aim to assist, but also Lance. I envision myself as an integral part of this team for numerous years, even beyond my driving tenure, while Lance will eventually assume the role of team leader. I am committed to providing unwavering support to him in every way possible.
Alonso’s Aston Martin contract will conclude when he reaches the age of 44, surprising him as he believed he had already signed his last Formula 1 agreement back in 2018.
Alonso commented on Verstappen’s prediction about not racing beyond his 40s, saying, “That’s exactly what I thought when I was Max’s age.”
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In 2007, I vividly recall signing a three-year contract with McLaren after achieving the title of world champion with Renault. I had absolute confidence, beyond any doubt, that this would be my final contract.
At that time in 2018, I believed it would be my final season and bid farewell to F1, convinced it marked the end of my career. However, despite my intention to quit, I discovered I couldn’t simply walk away.
It’s a peculiar situation as we are among the privileged few, just 20 individuals in the entire world, who get to drive Formula 1 cars. Naturally, one would assume that as long as you possess speed and happiness, you would love to pursue this profession. However, paradoxically, it strips away all the elements in your life that bring you joy.
“We will make some adjustments, such as having my family join me for more races and similar activities, in an effort to minimize the negative aspects.”
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