Formula 1 returns this weekend with the Canadian Grand Prix at the Montreal circuit. This is a new opportunity for both Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin, as they need to continue their upward trajectory and deliver in a very important race, especially given where they are coming from.
Alonso is on track to beat Stroll in the standings for a whole year
In any case, this will be one of the races in which Alonso has the chance to break another record in F1, currently held by Verstappen: beating his teammate, Lance Stroll, for a whole year.
Canada will be the tenth race of the year. Here, Australian Oscar Piastri, who scored his fifth victory of the year in Spain two Sundays ago, will take on Lando Norris. Both will try to maintain McLaren’s dominance.
The Spaniard arrives in Montreal with high hopes. They could be better, of course, but at this point, both Alonso and his team are aware of where they stand.
As such, the driver had already explained that in this race they will try to maximize the car’s potential to score points, but above all to squeeze every last drop out of the AMR25 and find out if there is any more performance to be had.
It cannot be said that it has been an easy season, far from it. At times, it was thought that this Aston Martin was going to be fighting it out at the back of the grid for the entire season, something that happened in Miami. From the Silverstone factory, they managed to get back on track, and although the improvement has served to make a qualitative leap, going from ninth or tenth to sixth or seventh, everyone is hoping for something more in the second half of the year.
In this context, Fernando Alonso has already made it clear that he now has a car capable of fighting for points, rather than permanently being in the points, which is worth distinguishing. This is simply because there are cars such as Williams and RB that are the favorites to finish in the points through a very tight midfield.
Similarly, while that is happening, Alonso is on track this season (if nothing changes) to break yet another record, adding to the many he has already set since competing in Formula 1. This is none other than beating his teammate, in this case Lance Stroll, for a whole year in a row in Saturday’s qualifying session (not counting Sprint).
Alonso has beaten Stroll in 21 consecutive qualifying sessions, just three away from achieving the longest streak in F1.
We are talking about Fernando Alonso, one of those special drivers who, in addition to speed and talent, have such adaptability and concentration that they can be fast with any type of car and in any circumstances. That is the main difference between the two-time Asturian champion and the Canadian, one of the most uneven pairings in Formula 1 in terms of results.
Thus, Alonso has beaten Stroll in every qualifying session so far this season. Since last year, the Asturian driver has finished ahead of the Canadian in 21 consecutive qualifying sessions.
The difference between the two Aston Martin drivers is around half a second.
To see the last time he finished behind Lance in a Saturday session, we have to go back to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 2024. In other words, in three races, Alonso will have beaten Stroll for an entire year.
Overall, looking at all this time, the difference in lap times between him and Lance Stroll in the Aston Martin, especially in qualifying, is usually around half a second. On some occasions, that difference can be even greater, with Alonso being significantly faster than Stroll.
So far, this record that Alonso is on track to break is held by Max Verstappen. The Dutchman came close to completing the feat last year, but in September, at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Sergio Pérez finished ahead of him.
In other words, the Oviedo native could break the record that not even Verstappen has been able to achieve: being the driver who has finished ahead of his teammate for an entire year. It could happen at Silverstone, Aston Martin’s home track. It would be the second feat in the same year, as in Barcelona, with his ninth-place finish, he already broke the record for being the driver with the most consecutive seasons in the points in history: 21.
Those two points were the first of the season for the Asturian, who has extended a record he already achieved last year, that of the most seasons in the points. Alonso is the only driver to have scored points in 21 Formula 1 seasons, and he was already the only one to have done so in 20.