"Honestly, you can’t fake that": Fernando Alonso's affection and care for Lance Stroll is genuine, states former F1 champion

Former F1 champion Mario Andretti feels the affection shown by Fernando Alonso for Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll is genuine and not something that can be faked.

One of the standout features of the 2023 season has been the Spaniard's relationship with his teammate. Whether it is sharing the brake bias data during the race in Baku or complimenting Stroll on an overtake during a race, Alonso has developed great camaraderie with the Canadian-Belgian driver.

There are quite a few F1 pundits that feel Fernando Alonso has been going a bit over the top with the way he's helping Stroll, but Mario Andretti doesn't feel that way.

Talking to PlanetF1, the former F1 world champion said that something like this cannot be faked. He said:

"I think it’s genuine. Honestly, you can’t fake that. I think he’s happy where he is. I think he knows he made the right move. It seems like he’s motivated the team to the level it needs to be and they’re giving him what he wants. He sees that, at this stage of his life, he doesn’t have many years to be an active driver. So he feels that he can cultivate Lance, help him be a better driver."

He added:

"You can always do that, there’s always room for improvement, obviously, for anyone. So I think he has a perfect situation at this stage of his career here, no question and it shows. The fact that he’s enjoying it is wonderful to see."

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Fernando Alonso's attitude has also brought energy to the team, Andretti says

Talking about Fernando Alonso and his joining Aston Martin coinciding with its rise in F1, Andretti felt that the Spaniard had brought with him a different energy to the team. He said:

"It’s awesome to see, quite honestly. Even his attitude has really brought so much energy to the team. All of it works. But at the same time, the team is giving him something also, because you can see that Lance Stroll is not far behind – he is right there and competitive."

He added:

"You can see that both drivers have valuable and solid equipment to deal with and so the combination is good there. The excitement and the energy – the proper energy – is in place right there. I give a lot of credit to Fernando for bringing that to the team. It’s working well."

Fernando Alonso has secured four podiums in five races so far this season and his performances have been a refreshing surprise for many F1 fans.