Fernando Alonso explains why ‘sensitive’ Lance Stroll is the key to Aston Martin’s success

Fernando Alonso believes that Lance Stroll’s opinion is especially crucial to the Aston Martin squad, claiming that his teammate is “a lot more sensitive to things” about the car than he is.

Alonso and Stroll are already in their second season as teammates for the British squad, and this appears to be the case in the future, since Alonso just signed a new multi-year contract that will keep him with the club until 2026.

While the two-time world champion appears to be leading the charge for Aston Martin (Alonso presently has 31 points to Stroll’s nine), Alonso believes that both he and Stroll are contributing to the car’s development, with the Canadian being particularly “crucial” in this regard.

During the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, Alonso was asked if the team was evolving around him as the main figure, and he replied, “I don’t think so.” Lance and I are attempting to aid the squad as much as we can.

“I believe we have two distinct driving styles in certain scenarios. We have two different feelings about the automobile. Lance is far more sensitive to things than I am, which I believe is critical for the team.

“I believe Lance’s analysis and feedback to the team are critical to our success and the improvement of the car. I can be a little less sensitive at times, which is not a good thing.

“I believe we are both attempting to assist Aston as much as possible, and I believe the approach in which we develop the car and often finish the set-ups on a weekend is identical. We arrive at the same conclusion, albeit in different ways, and I believe that having two distinct methods is beneficial to Aston.”

When pressed on where he believes he lacks sensitivity, Alonso explained: “I think sometimes I drive the vehicle around the problems that we have, which is sometimes a wonderful thing because I can drive any car at any time and extract 90% of it.

“But, in order to maximize the car’s potential, I occasionally need the assistance of a teammate with unique details on the setup or balancing issues. I believe we gain from each other in a variety of ways, which is a fantastic thing right now.