The F1 world has been abuzz lately with the news that Fernando Alonso will be joining the Aston Martin team in 2023. With this move, there is an impending matchup between two drivers, Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso. Mike Krack, Aston Martin’s Team Principal, believes that Stroll has the potential to surprise many people in the paddock with his performances next season. But what does Stroll need to do in order to compete against a driver of such caliber? Let’s take a closer look at the Canadian driver’s chances.
Although it is true that Stroll did not perform as well as his teammate Sebastian Vettel over the past two seasons, it would be unfair to suggest that he was completely outperformed. Nevertheless, his lack of pace and overall consistency have proven to be weaknesses for him. To become competitive against Alonso next season, Stroll needs to improve upon both these aspects significantly and on a consistent basis.
Stroll may have benefited from more stability during his time in F1; since making his debut in 2017 he has now driven for three different teams (Williams Racing, Racing Point and now Aston Martin). If he can find this stability with Aston Martin then he can focus on developing himself as a driver without worrying about adjusting to a new team or car every few years. This could make all the difference when competing against someone like Alonso who is renowned for being able to adapt quickly and efficiently throughout his career.
Furthermore, if Stroll can find continuity with his race engineer then this could also help him develop further as a driver and increase his confidence levels when going up against one of the greatest drivers of all time. Although it remains uncertain whether it will be enough for him to compete with Alonso next season, there are certainly reasons why we should not write off Stroll just yet.
At this stage it is difficult to predict how Lance Stroll will fare when facing off against Fernando Alonso in 2023 but Mike Krack’s belief that he can surprise people shows that there is potential there for him to perform well. Ultimately though, it will come down to whether or not Stroll can channel all of these elements together into one package; finding stability within a team environment whilst also consistently improving upon weaknesses such as pace and consistency which have held him back so far in F1 competition. Only time will tell if he can do enough to match up against one of F1’s all-time greats!