Alonso : 'I'm not thinking about how long it will take to win races'

Fernando Alonso thinks his new teammate Lance Stroll has what it takes to become champion. In an interview on the website of Aston Martin the two-time world champion tells how he rates the team's chances for next season.

With his move from Alpine to Aston Martin, Alonso is certainly not improving. The French racing stable finished fourth last year, while Aston Martin struggled to secure a shared sixth place. A gap of no less than 118 points separated the two teams.

Alonso himself is also aware that at Aston Martin it will probably be more difficult to fight for the podium. "But I'm not thinking about timeframes and how long it will take the team to win races," Alonso explained. "I will take it race by race, season by season. What's important is that we keep making progress. I will use all my experience and all my knowledge to help the team shortcut the time that is needed to become World Champions. Will I be behind the steering wheel when that time comes? Nobody knows. It's impossible to predict. But what is certain is that I will try my best."

'He has the talent'

At Aston Martin, Alonso will drive alongside Lance Stroll. The Canadian does not yet have many achievements to his name: in his seven years in Formula 1, Stroll has taken the podium three times and managed one pole position. Yet Alonso thinks Stroll has more up his sleeve.

"In Lance, the team has a driver who is super young, super talented and has the possibility to be World Champion," the Spaniard claimed. "To see him achieve that and have played a part in that, whether that's behind the wheel or not, will be special for me. He has the speed, he has the talent. He has shown it many times, especially in wet conditions. To perform at that level in difficult conditions you have to have a special feeling with the car."