Pedro de la Rosa elaborates on how Lance Stroll is “just as fast” as Fernando Alonso.

Aston Martin Formula 1 representative Pedro de la Rosa has lauded Lance Stroll, asserting that the Canadian can be “just as fast” as his teammate Fernando Alonso.

Since becoming teammates in 2023, Alonso and Stroll have seen the 27-year-old outqualified 89-15 and outscored 335 points to 131.

Despite Alonso's advancing age and Stroll's increasing experience, the comparison between the two remains consistent, with the 45-year-old averaging three tenths quicker in qualifying in 2026.

However, when discussing Stroll on the Beyond The Grid podcast, de la Rosa was full of admiration.

“Lance is incredibly fast,” the ex-F1 driver stated. “I enjoy analyzing data because I’m driven by figures. I like to identify where one driver excels over another. And Lance, at many tracks and in numerous corners, is unmatched.

“It's not a case of Lance being quick in high-speed sections and Fernando in others... They are both very closely matched.

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

“Lance is exceptionally quick in all corners. The issue sometimes has been a few errors in qualifying or minor details that, if you don’t qualify well, can jeopardize the entire weekend. That’s where he struggles; it’s about piecing everything together in qualifying.

“But occasionally he nails it in qualifying and outperforms Fernando, which is remarkable... I mean, we’re talking about Fernando Alonso here.

“And during races, his pace is impressive as well. He excels at managing tyres.”

Nevertheless, there’s a significant ‘if’. De la Rosa emphasizes that Stroll needs the car to perform as anticipated to rival his teammate.

“I believe Lance is a highly underrated driver,” he added. “When we enhance the car and make it more accommodating for the driver – I must admit it’s quite a challenging car right now for various reasons, not just the chassis but also the engine; we need improvements in driveability – when the car is functioning properly, he’s just as quick as Fernando. There’s no doubt about that.”

Photos from F1 Spanish GP - Friday