Fernando Alonso tips Lance Stroll to “lead” Aston Martin when he retires from F1

Fernando Alonso believes Lance Stroll will “lead” Aston Martin when he ultimately retires from F1.

Alonso has dominated the teammate head-to-head since joining Aston Martin at the start of 2023.

While things are close in qualifying in 2024 - Alonso leads 5-4 - the two-time world champion is well ahead in the standings (Alonso 33 points; Stroll 11 points).

The gap was more significant last year as Alonso claimed eight podiums, compared to Stroll, whose highest finish was just fourth at the Australian Grand Prix.

At 42, Alonso is comfortably the oldest driver on the grid, but he’s committed to a new deal with Aston Martin, likely keeping him at the team until the end of 2026.

When he retires, he’s confident Stroll will be the driver to lead the team.

“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 teammates are normally older, they have more experience,” Alonso told The Times.

“Now I feel the opposite, I’m the oldest, I’m the one with more experience and I feel that responsibility on my shoulders, of leading the team and trying to help not only the engineers, but also Lance. I will be part of the team for many years, even when I am not driving, and Lance will lead this team in the future. I will always support him.”

Alonso’s latest F1 deal means he will be racing until he’s 44.

He conceded that like Max Verstappen, who has reiterated on a number of occasions that he expects to quit F1 before his mid 30s, he thought he’d quit the sport earlier.

“That’s what I was thinking when I was at Max’s age,” Alonso added. “It’s something strange because we are privileged people, only 20 in the world driving Formula 1 cars, so it’s logical that you think you will love to do this as long as you are fast and you are happy but, at the same time, it’s taking away everything in your life that makes you happy.

“Some adjustments will be done, with my family coming to more races and this type of thing, to try and have fewer downsides.”