Jun.17 (GMM) While Fernando Alonso’s smile is returning, Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll remains in the doldrums as dark clouds swirl over his future in F1.
Stroll, the son of billionaire team owner Lawrence, returned from a wrist injury to contest his home Canadian GP last weekend – and qualified an abysmal P18.
In stark contrast, Alonso was sixth fastest in Q3 – amid a surge in points-scoring form despite being one of the last drivers to open their championship accounts in 2025.
“It seems like a habit to be in the points now,” said the Spaniard, “but it’s because of good qualifying.
“If we weren’t sixth on the grid, we wouldn’t be in the points. There were really fast cars in the race – the Williams, the Haas, surprisingly Esteban (Ocon) was in the front positions, also (Nico) Hulkenberg, who is suddenly fighting.
“If we start 12th or 13th, we won’t score.”
Indeed, Stroll finished dead last.
The terrible result in Montreal comes amid new speculation strongly linking Mercedes’ on-form George Russell with Aston Martin for 2026.
Russell is yet to be offered a Mercedes deal for next year, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is suddenly linked with a shock switch to silver.
“I’m not talking with anybody else and any teams who have shown interest, I have been quite open to say my intentions are to stay with Mercedes,” Canada GP pole sitter and race winner Russell insisted.
However, amid rumours Stroll’s wrist injury was the result of a garage tantrum in Barcelona, the 26-year-old Canadian’s mood had not improved in Montreal.
“We’re slow,” he told Le Journal de Montreal, “and I think that will also be the case in Austria because the car has characteristics that never improve.
“The problems that limit my driving don’t change. It’s not going to get better,” Stroll added. “It will probably be like this again and again.”
Amid new rumours that his father may finally need to vacate Stroll’s cockpit for a more competitive driver, Stroll admitted he is clearly lagging behind an increasingly optimistic Alonso.
“I don’t really feel any change in the car,” Stroll said. “Maybe Fernando feels something because he’s getting good results.
“I don’t know, I was just very slow today,” he added on Sunday.
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