“End the race of Fernando Alonso”. It is the goal that damon hillworld champion of Formula 1 in 1996 with the team williamsit puts Lance Stroll in Aston Martin. The former British driver believes that Stroll’s career in the highest category of motorsport depends on whether or not he manages to beat the Asturian driver in 2023.
Russell, the benchmark to look at
Hill assures that the greatest example of what Stroll has to do is on the grid and it is George Russell. The Briton managed to beat last season, in his first year in Mercedesto lewis hamiltonfinishing in fourth place in the championship, while the seven-time world champion was sixth, 35 points behind Russell.
The ex-world champion also sees in Nico Hulkenberg a benchmark for Stroll, since at the start of the season and after three years out of Formula 1, he has managed to put his partner on the ropes in Haas, Kevin Magnussen. “Now it sounds brutal, but that’s what George Russell is trying to do, that’s what Nico Hulkenberg is trying to do with Magnussen,” Hill told the F1 Nation Podcast.
Beyond the fact of beating Alonso, Hill assures that Lance Stroll’s mission is to become the first Aston Martin driver, a role that the man from Oviedo has clearly played up to now: “You have to establish yourself as the undisputed kingnumber one on that team.”
The departure of Aston Martin, an option to assess
Damon Hill believes that if Stroll is relegated to the role of second driver, he should leave Aston Martin to prove his true caliber. “If he really wants to know what his potential is, then he would have to leave and drive for a different team. Then he would escape all those problems and he would have to sink or swim,” explained the ex-British pilot.
Despite this advice, Lance Stroll doesn’t value getting out of Aston Martin. The great investment of his father, Lawrence Stroll, in turning the Silverstone team into a winning structure makes it practically impossible for Lance to change air.
