F1 pundit Peter Windsor looked at the reasons behind Lance Stroll's underwhelming start to the season, citing Fernando Alonso as one of the main factors. The Canadian driver is seemingly nowhere compared to the two-time world champion, who has appeared on the podium frequently in 2023.
Stroll was paired up with Sebastian Vettel until this year, and while he was often outperformed by the four-time world champion, the Canadian was able to hold his own. However, this time around, he is nowhere compared to Alonso, who has outperformed the former Racing Point driver on every occasion so far.
Windsor believes Alonso is the differentiating factor that has reduced Lance Stroll's relative performance. He said on his YouTube channel:
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"They've always wanted to get drivers like Vettel and Alonso this year, because they are sort of benchmarks - because they are world champions and if Lance can look good alongside them, then that shows how good Lance is. And I think it worked out really well with Sebastian Vettel because Lance looked pretty good on occasion. It's not working out that well alongside Fernando Alonso because Fernando Alonso is a very different animal to Sebastian Vettel".
Fernando Alonso on his chances of winning a race this year
When it comes to the possibility of winning a race this season, Fernando Alonso maintains a pragmatic outlook.
The Spanish driver has made a strong start to the season, securing four podium finishes in five races. Notably, he has consistently been the leading contender outside of the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Aston Martin's notable improvement in performance has led to suggestions that Alonso could potentially win a race this season. However, the veteran driver doesn't appear to be burdening himself with excessive pressure.
Fernando Alonso believes that winning a race would require external assistance or favorable circumstances. He pointed to instances like Esteban Ocon's success in Alpine and Pierre Gasly's victory in AlphaTauri as examples where everything aligned perfectly, suggesting that a similar situation would need to occur for him as well.
He told racingnews365 when questioned about potentially winning a race:
"I hope so, but there are no guarantees. If you see over the last few years, Gasly won in Monza, Ocon won in Hungary, so an opportunity to win a race is always there, and the closer you are to the top, the better your chance is. So yes, why not?
It will be interesting to follow the Spaniard's progress in 2023.
