Alonso went one place down from the grid whereas Stroll went 4 up. The fact that they end up behind each other shows that he drove the AM to its ability. Well done.
Alonso has been consistently driving the AMR23's ability for the last 11 races....minus car upgrades. Stroll, not so much.
This is his 7th season in F1 and his supporters offer nothing but excuses. Granted at this point in the season A-M has been outclassed by other constructors, but early in the season when it was the second best car his performances were unremarkable.
I don't know about excuses, I wouldn't make any apart that I like the guy. Lance Stroll is in F1 by virtue of having qualified for a Superlicence and being sponsored by his father. He is part of Aston Martin, the family team, and there is nothing wrong with that. He is a mid-field driver, but can perform good starts, score points and he is not shaby in the rain. It's acknowledged that he is not to the skill level of Vettel or Alonso (both ex-WDC). Lance has good and bad days. Is there anything else to add to that ? I don't look at F1 with the critical eye some of you do.
Excuses for what? He is no WDC material, he is a mid field driver, a journey man and as such he is doing a good enough job. Like a bunch of other guys on that grid. I don't expect him to beat Alonso. One of my fav drivers of all time is Eddie Irvine who never claimed to be better than MS. By many people's definitions he was a journey man, somebody who is in F1 to make a nice living and enjoy what he is doing. Well, he certainly did that. And I'm sure Lance is enjoying his time as a F1 driver as well.
I too like Eddie Irvine and I once had an opportunity to chat with him for a few minutes. The difference between Eddie and Lance is that Eddie earned his place in F1 on merit(and was a contender for the WDC) while Lance was given his seat on a silver platter and has accomplished little if anything. I recall that Ford Motor Company had a management shake-up and as the new CEO or CFO was reviewing compensation he asked, "What does Ed Irwin do for the company and why are we paying him so much"?
So be serious here; what was Lance supposed to say when his father proposed to sponsor him all the way to F1 ? Refuse ? "Oh no Dad, I can't accept that ! It will upset the purists." Well, he accepted, and good luck to him, I say. In every walks of life there are people jealous of others, or pretending some folks don't deserve what they get in life. Tough ! As for the Ford exec. who didn't know who Eddie Irvine was (#1 at Jaguar), that's understandable if he wasn't interested in F1. I don't know any baseball, basketball or football player, even so-called celebrity, so I would be judged quite ignorant too.
@william @tifosi12 I don't get you guys regarding what the sole purpose of both drivers in an F1 team are supposed to do while on the track. Is it not to maximize the amount of points possible given the car and its upgrades? I realize that this is a father-son issue, but doesn't this father-son issue go against what the sole purpose of BOTH drivers are to achieve-->maximum points. It seems both of you are comfortable with Lance as a privileged driver in F1 whom really doesn't have to fight for his F1 seat and you're okay with the father and son going "against the grain" of what a driver in F1 is supposed to achieve....which in this case is setting the bar low of what an F1 driver is supposed to achieve when compared to his team-mate. Cannot Lawrence Stroll hire another driver that is above Lance Strolls race-craft? Couldn't Alonso and another driver achieve more points together as opposed to what Alonso and Lance have achieved so far. All you 2 car about is Lance is having fun in F1 and that's more important because that's how the father wants it and it's his team and money so he does as he pleases....screw everyone else who thinks what's best for the team regarding a better driver. So with that being said, Lawrence Stroll could spend billions on the team to try to advance the team to the front but there's a caveat to that spending, his son is still going to have fun in F1 with mid-field performance and that would be okay with both of you. That's not how a "top team" operates if your goal is to be #1.
Just as there are journey men drivers, there are journey men teams. Sauber for instance or Williams by now. They know they will never be #1. Their goal is to be part of it (because they love) and make enough $ to stay profitable. Similar considerations apply to a couple of other teams. Always has been like that and there's nothing wrong with it.
I know this but Lawrence Stroll wants AMRF1 to be up front as a top tier team and he will spend it to do so. The conundrum to spending all this money to take a team to number 1 status is Lance Stroll because you're okay with his midfield performance and him having fun in an F1 seat.....hence why it will never be number 1.
I plead guilty Your Honor !!! I am very comfortable about a privileged driver in F1, with a father helping his son, and Lance having fun in F1 without having to answer to bullies like Marko or Steiner. I don't know Lance Stroll, but he is the closest I imagine to a "gentleman driver", and I like that aspect. It gives a different taste than the robotic methods of Mercedes or Red Bull, with their total obsession of winning at all cost. I like their clinical efficiency and result they obtain too, but Lance Stroll in the middle of that is a breath of fresh air for me. Lawrence Stroll probably knows the fury of detractors, and don't take notice. Maybe he enjoys pissing them off too !!!
Mercedes and RedBull "winning at all costs" is a byproduct of the sport isn't it. IF so, then IF Lawrence Stroll is to propel the team to number 1 status, having his son with mid-field performance and having fun in an F1 seat will be the downfall of his fathers ultimate goal no?
If AM produces a top level car, their #1 driver will get the WDC. Alonso could certainly do it. Top teams don't really rely that much on two top drivers. MS had a bunch of mediocre guys during his championship wins. Max doesn't need Perez, nor Vettel whoever he had as #2. Nor was Bottas critical to Hamilton. *IF* AM builds the best car, they will win and Lance will probably drive it to a bunch of podiums, but that's more for his own amusement than for the teams necessity to clinch the title.
Come to think of it, a top notch #2 can also be toxic for a team. Alonso/Hamilton or Prost/Senna come immediately to mind. A top driver is likely more comfortable signing for AM knowing that he won't face much challenge from Lance. That's assuming AM can deliver the goods on the best car, which so far looks like the bigger/biggest issue than having Lance as #2.
You just have to look at the constant aggro between Verstappen and Perez at Red Bull or Leclerc and Sainz at Ferrari. Lawrence Stroll avoids that by having a star driver backed up by his son. The ideal combo, in this case.
If you think that's ideal then dropping in the the WCC standings is of no concern then for 2023 due to Lance Strolls mediocre performance. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
Another way to think about it is: How about the immense power and money Stroll Senior has to allow for such a luxury? Isn't that impressive? It's a bit like the indoor ski slopes the Saudis built in the desert. Costs insane amount of $ and energy to run this but hey, they have the cash, so more power to them. I once visited a very wealthy FChatter. In his guest bathroom hang a Picasso. Others would put that in a vault or make it the prime showcase piece in the living room. True story.
On that I am in total agreement there. +1 Just the son issue is what's wrong. Get someone else more race-craft worthy....which means more points.....[frustrated]
