Recent rumours brewing about the contract of Fernando Alonso suggest that the former Formula One World Champion will be a number 2 driver at Aston Martin behind Lance Stroll, son of Aston Martin owner, Lawrence Stroll. However, Fernando has outperformed Lance in all ways this season so far.
Fernando’s former teammate Pedro de la Rosa has denied all these claims outright. The 51-year-old Spaniard is a Formula 1 veteran who has raced for Arrows and HRT and worked as a long-time test driver for McLaren. He now works as a brand ambassador and advisor for the Aston Martin team, a position that re-united him with former McLaren colleague Fernando Alonso.
Pedro de la Rosa dismisses Fernando Alonso’s speculation.
Fernando Alonso, throughout the season, whenever he has come up behind Lance on track, has either chosen not to attack (Spanish Grand Prix 2023) or has attacked but has not succeeded in overtaking (Austrian Sprint 2023). Former Williams reserve and racer Jack Aitken observed the duel between Stroll and Fernando Alonso during the Sprint race at the Austrian GP. He believed Alonso was faking it to make Stroll appear suitable because he is the Boss’s son. On the BBC Chequered Flag podcast, he suspected Alonso’s push on Stroll in the Austrian Sprint was more for show than a serious fight for the place.
However, when DAZN asked Pedro de la Rosa whether there was any truth to the matter, the Aston Martin advisor chuckled and said, “Antonio, that’s absurd,” to DAZN commentator Antonio Lobato.
“Sorry, it’s absurd. You’ve mentioned that before, and it’s absurd. Good teamwork is being done, that’s all.”
Fernando Alonso finished behind teammate Lance Stroll in Barcelona
Fernando Alonso finished the Spanish GP in seventh position, while his teammate finished sixth, with less than a second separating the two drivers. Alonso ended the rumours by saying there was no need to engage in battle with teammate Lance Stroll during the final stages of the Spanish GP, describing it as the “right choice” to hold his ground. He made the following comments post race;
“I think I was a little bit faster, like one or two tenths – I had newer tyres [with] 10 laps to go,” said Alonso. “But when you get close to another car, you have turbulent air. I damaged one floor [in qualifying] already; I didn’t want to damage another one today.”
“I didn’t want him to damage his floor either by defending! For us, it was the same, sixth and seventh, seventh and sixth, same points, so we just… Bringing the car home felt like the right choice.”
"This is the last race without a podium" – @alo_oficial 💪
You heard it here first 😜#SpanishGP #F1 @AstonMartinF1 pic.twitter.com/qbgnLBcmwM
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 8, 2023
We don’t know if this will turn out like a duel between Alonso and Lewis back in the day at McLaren or if it will lead to a beautiful partnership and sportsmanship that takes Aston Martin up the grid. Stay tuned at SportsZion to find out.
