Lance Stroll has admitted that Fernando Alonso is faster than him right now, but insisted that he is motivated to get to the level of the two-time world champion.
The Spaniard has had a late career renaissance since leaving Alpine for Aston Martin upon the conclusion of the 2022 season, and has helped make them one of the top teams on the grid.
So far this season, Alonso has finished on the podium in six out of eight races and has been one of the standout drivers behind the dominant Max Verstappen.
A 33rd Grand Prix win and first since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix remains a real possibility, with Aston Martin now competing strongly with Mercedes and Ferrari.
On Saturday, Stroll out-qualified his team-mate for just the second time this season as he prepares to line up sixth in the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, with Alonso seventh.
However, the Canadian racer was very candid when speaking about Alonso this weekend, admitting he has a better car and is currently the faster of the two drivers.
“He is pushing this car to the limit,” Stroll said, as quoted by Sport.es. “He more or less finishes behind Max Verstappen in every race. It’s very impressive. But I’m motivated to work and get to that level.
“He’s the best teammate I’ve ever had. In terms of outright pace, he has been quicker than me. I think he has showed the true performance of the car.
"I definitely have some work to do, some things to improve. Fernando has been at a pretty high level, and I definitely have to work on some things to improve.”