Pedro de la Rosa Praises Lance Stroll’s Raw Speed, Calls Him “As Quick” as Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin Formula 1 ambassador Pedro de la Rosa has delivered a strong endorsement of Lance Stroll, stating the Canadian driver can match two-time world champion Fernando Alonso in outright pace when the car behaves predictably. Speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast, the former F1 driver highlighted Stroll’s underrated qualifying speed and racecraft, while acknowledging the machinery challenges that have masked his true level.
Teammate Comparison Since 2023
Stroll and Alonso have shared the Aston Martin garage since the start of the 2023 season. Over that span, Alonso holds a decisive statistical edge: he has outqualified Stroll 89 times to 15 and outscored him 335 points to 131. Even in the 2026 campaign, with Alonso now 45 and Stroll more experienced, the Spaniard remains roughly three tenths of a second faster per qualifying lap on average.
Despite the numbers, de la Rosa—who analyses performance through a data-driven lens—argues the raw speed gap is far narrower than the results suggest.
“Lance Is Super Fast” – De la Rosa’s Data-Driven Verdict
“Lance is super fast,” the former F1 driver said. “You know, I love to watch data because I’m data-driven. And I like to see where one driver is faster than the other. And Lance, in many circuits, in many corners, is unbeatable.
“It’s not like you can say Lance is fast in high-speed, Fernando in… They’re both very evenly matched.
De la Rosa emphasized that Stroll’s strength spans every corner type, dismissing the notion that either driver holds a sector-specific advantage.
“Lance is extremely quick in all types of corners. It’s just that sometimes he’s had some mistakes in qualifying or little things that then eventually if you don’t qualify up there, it just compromises the whole weekend. That’s where he’s missing, you know, it’s just sometimes putting everything together in quali.
“But sometimes he gets it in quali and he outqualifies Fernando, which is like… I mean, we’re talking about Fernando Alonso, you know.
“And in races, his race pace is impressive as well. He’s very good managing tyres.”
The Critical Variable: Car Driveability
De la Rosa was clear that Stroll’s ability to extract maximum performance is highly sensitive to the car’s characteristics. He described the current Aston Martin as “a very difficult car right now for many reasons, not only car, chassis, but also on the engine, we have to make improvements on driveability.”
“I think Lance is a very underrated driver,” he continued. “When we improve the car and make it a bit more driver-friendly – I must say it’s a very difficult car right now for many reasons, not only car, chassis, but also on the engine, we have to make improvements on driveability – whenever the car is driving properly, he’s as quick as Fernando. There’s no question about that.”
The ambassador’s assessment reframes Stroll’s deficit as a product of machinery limitations and qualifying consistency rather than a fundamental pace shortage. If Aston Martin delivers a more balanced, driveable package, de la Rosa believes the intra-team battle will be far closer than the standings indicate.
