Fernando Alonso ‘surprised’ by Lance Stroll’s ‘commitment and motivation’ in F1 2023
Fernando Alonso has admitted he was ‘surprised’ by teammate Lance Stroll’s level of commitment and motivation to improve in the final part of the F1 2023 season.
After struggling for much of the season, Stroll enjoyed a strong end to the year, with back-to-back fifth-place finishes in Brazil and Las Vegas.
It meant, for a few rounds at least, Stroll had the edge over his veteran teammate, who had scored eight podiums during the campaign.
Despite the Canadian struggling, Alonso noted his impressive “dedication” to get on top of things, particularly after his injury.
"It has been very good, and I think we have a unique relationship of any team that I was in and in the paddock," Alonso said.
"We talk a lot, we are in contact every week on the telephone, at the factory, at the races and we try to make sure that we are all in the same direction.
"We share many things that he's been through, some difficulties this year as the car was changing behaviour and he was just struggling a little bit more than me.
"We then fixed a few things on the car, and he's back to top form, and it was impressive to see his dedication and motivation in the highs and lows, such as in the beginning of the year with a broken hand.
"He was so determined to put things back in place again and eventually he did after Mexico, in Brazil and Las Vegas.
"This was a surprise to me to be honest, the level of commitment and the level of motivation that he has, so it is only good news and good things for the team."
Stroll’s form throughout the entire year ultimately meant that Aston Martin slipped back to fifth in the constructors’ championship, losing out to McLaren.
