While it was never really in doubt, Aston Martin today confirmed that Lance Stroll has extended his contract with the British team through 2025 and beyond. Two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso, who will partner Stroll at Aston Martin until at least the end of the 2026 season, told GPblog and others in Austria that Stroll has taken time to consider his future before renewing his contract with the team. Alonso also praised Stroll, saying he has a “different” type of relationship with him at Aston Martin, and that he hopes to help the Canadian long into the future.
Aston Martin is owned by the Canadian’s father, Lawrence Stroll, who has supported his son since he began his F1 journey in 2017 at Williams, a team he invested heavily in to help his son secure a seat. Fernando Alonso, who is set to partner Lance Stroll for two more seasons, said in the paddock today that he was happy to continue driving alongside the Canadian for a few more years.
Alonso: Stroll ‘thinking’ about his future
“It’s great news for the team. He was thinking a little bit about his future or what he expected, but for us I think it’s great news because he knows the team very well. I think apart from a few years at Williams, he’s spent his career in this environment with the same group of people and he can improve things knowing what Aston was in the past, what it is now, what things have changed for the better if things have changed for the worse,” said the Spaniard. Stroll has been driving with his father’s team since 2019. Racing Point was the team’s identity for 2019 and 2020 before it switched to Aston Martin for 2021.
“He has all this background. I have it for other different teams, so between the two of us we can try to help and take the best solutions and I think in this year and a half together we get along very well. So for me personally it’s also very positive news. I can work with someone who thinks in the same direction and helps the team. So it’s good news for the team,” revealed Alonso, who is happy that Stroll is staying with the British squad.
Alonso ‘doesn’t remember’ similar team-mate relationship
Alonso also seems to appreciate his younger team-mate. Stroll, who is only 25, has already started more than 150 grands prix. Alonso hopes he can continue to help the Canadian develop in the future. “He’s a very dedicated and committed person in his work. He works a lot in the simulator. He lives in the UK and that helps, obviously, but we’ve been constantly talking about the team and things in the car. On Sunday night, after Barcelona, we exchanged quite a significant text on WhatsApp. I don’t remember having that kind of relationship with other team-mates in the past,” Alonso said.
Alonso to ‘support’ Stroll after F1 retirement
“He’s always been very open and asked a lot about driving in terms of braking techniques. Different types of circuits as well. We’ve also identified last year and this year with the engineers, there are some corners where he’s strong, some corners where I’m stronger,” the 32-time grand prix winner continued. “There are circuits where, historically, I have been quite competitive and others where Lance has been historically very competitive. We try to understand why there is a pattern that we follow and some corners that we like more than others, and the ones that we like less, we learn from our teammates. We have been very open and we try to understand that. We have even worked on the simulator on these techniques. These kinds of things are obviously very important for the team. I am here in this team for a very long-term project in my life and in my career. Even when I am not driving, I hope Lance will take the lead of this team and I will support him even when I am away from the wheel.” Concludes Alonso, who is passionate about Aston Martin’s project in F1.
This article is originally published on gpblog.com
