Could Stroll surprise Alonso? "Don't know if Fernando underestimates Lance"

Lance Stroll entered Formula 1 at Williams in 2017 as a so-called 'pay driver', but the Canadian has since become a regular in the king class of motorsport. Perhaps it is because his father Lawrence Stroll will always hold a spot for Lance with his own team Aston Martin, but perhaps also because he simply deserves it. That is Mike Krack's opinion.

Indeed, the Aston Martin team boss has been impressed by Stroll's performance. The Canadian driver scored five points in 16 Grands Prix, while teammate Sebastian Vettel managed to collect 20. However, according to Krack, that does not quite reflect the true proportions. The 50-year-old Luxembourger believes Stroll is doing extremely well against someone of Vettel's calibre.

"When Sebastian joined the team, people were saying Lance had no chance, but Lance has performed incredibly well against a four-time World Champion – they’ve been closely matched. People are saying the same thing now that Fernando is joining the team, but let’s wait and see. Lance might just surprise a few people," Krack told Formula 1's official channels.

Alonso and Stroll teammates in 2023

Next year, Fernando Alonso will join the ranks now that Vettel has decided to hang up his racing helmet. There are plenty of voices predicting that Stroll will be driven square in 2023. The Aston Martin chief would not be surprised if the 23-year-old driver, who now has 117 Grand Prix weekends behind him, manages to hold on.

When Krack is asked if Stroll Jr. could even surprise Alonso, he says: "I don’t know if Fernando underestimates Lance. He’s certainly not scared of going up against him in the same car – or any other driver for that matter – but there’s a respect between them. They’ve known each other for many years, they’ve raced against each other, and Fernando knows the qualities Lance has. There’s real respect there.”