21/08/2023
NEWS STORY
Lance Stroll has admitted that so far this season he has been out-performed by his teammate, Fernando Alonso.
Every year, when it comes to the time for 'who goes where' for the following season, we usually add the caveat alongside Stroll's name that 'Dad owns team'.
This is admittedly quite cruel because in the past the youngster, on a number of occasions has shown that he has talent.
However, this year he has been largely left for dust by Alonso, who has scored 149 points to the Canadian's 47 and 6 podiums.
Were this any other team the rumour mill would be in overdrive, and even though his father does hold the keys to Aston Martin there has been speculation.
Speaking to Motorsport Magazine, Stroll admits that the two-time world champion has had the better of him thus far.
"For sure, he's been at a very high level throughout the year," he said. "He's made very few mistakes... no mistakes, and you have to give him credit for that.
"He's been driving at an extremely high level," he continued, "and really getting the most out of the car every week.
"There are other times where I really drove well and I was in front of him a couple of times, so I'm proud of that," he added.
"I know that there's been a lot of races where I felt like I maybe got the most out of the car, and he was a little bit quicker, and that's just how it is," he admitted. "He's just been at a really high level throughout the whole season and delivering that kind of A-plus kind of performance every week, when I've had a few kind of As.
"I've had some Cs and it's been a little bit more challenging, but there's a lot of racing left to go."
Stroll was also keen to remind that he missed out on pre-season testing following a training accident that left him with fractured wrists.
"It definitely didn't help to miss 250 laps of testing or whatever it was, and just be physically not at my best earlier on in the season," he said. "However I think more than my injury we probably got hurt more by bad fortune on the track."
Asked about the points deficit and the ongoing speculation over his future, with some claiming that he has already peaked, Stroll said: "I'm just focused on my own stuff. I'm not really listening to too much of that noise on the outside, because it's F1.
"When you have a bad day there's always going to be a reason why. When you have a good day, it's kind of just normal. I think that's how a lot of F1 is, or my experience of it over the years."
Right now however, his focus is on assisting his team to rediscover the form shown at the start of the season, what with Mercedes and McLaren now looking stringer.
"Hopefully we get back to a stage where we're that competitive. I do believe we can do that."