Outside Line: De la Rosa talking hyper-sh!t about Stroll's "potential"

Thursday, 06 June 2024 at 14:49

Normally I would imagine Pedro de la Rosa would laugh out loud at anyone claiming Lance Stroll is a driver with much potential who at times is even faster than Fernando Alonso, but wearing his Aston Martin Ambassador cap - unbelievably - that's what he reportedly said.

Seriously! Good ol' Pedro said that to RacingNews365 when the subject of Stroll's form was brought into the conversation amid suggestions that Aston Martin will never be taken seriously as F1 title contenders as long as Stroll junior was marking time in the second car.

For background and context, ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, Round 9 of the 2024 Formul1 World Championship, Alonso has 33 points to his name with Stroll on 11 points with an Aston Martin AMR24 that is no match to the AMR23.

Last year's car had Alonso on podiums early on last season. So much so his points tally after the same eight rounds in 2023 was 117, Stroll on 37 points, one-third less as it is now.

But De la Rosa seems to see something only Lawernce Stroll and maybe Lance’s mother must see, he said: "He is incredibly talented and fast. It's unreal how much potential he has. If you compare him to Fernando, there are corners where Lance is simply faster."

A number of outrageous statements by the 53-year-old Spaniard need to be analysed. Potential? Seriously? This is not a guy who started racing this year or last. According to StatsF1, Lance Stroll has 151 GP starts to his name since his F1 debut in 2017 and he is only 25 years old!

When does the statute of limitations run out on an F1 driver's "potential"?

Jackie Stewart retired a triple F1 World Champion with 99 GP starts on his CV. Different times one might say. Of his generation, Stroll has competed in more GPs than Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gssly, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Ocasr Piastri.

All of these drivers showed potential when they broke into F1. Some delivered others are trying. The latter three are potential F1 World Champions. The Frenchmen are not. Neither is Stroll who has more experience than any of the lot.

The 'statute of limitations' has long run out on Stroll Junior having "potential" no matter what De la Rosa is trying to sell here.

That he goes as far as claiming Stroll is "simply faster" than Alonso in certain corners begs belief. Perhaps the Spaniard was on his phone or thinking of other things when that timing was done. Whether he likes it or not De la Rosa disparages his mate Fernando with that suggestion.

To compare Alonso to Stroll takes some gall for De la Rosa no matter how much they pay him for his pro-AMR soundbites. It's like saying Aston Martin is aiming for a one-two in Canada. Absurd and hard to take seriously.

De la Rosa: Stroll is learning a lot from Fernando

Ambassador Pedro continued the adulation of lil' Stroll: "He is learning a lot from Fernando. They work well together and it is only a matter of time before we see a big explosion of talent from Stroll. When he puts it all together, he will be excellent. That gives you that little bit of extra confidence.

"When Fernando took his first podium in Bahrain last year, he walked on water afterwards. Even someone like Fernando needs that confidence," ventured De la Rosa, neglecting to mention that Lance was nowhere to be seen during that fine run for Aston Martin last year.

Another unfortunate comparison is what motivates Alonso - a double F1 World Champion who grafted hard through the ranks, a Le Mans winner and one of the greatest race drivers of this century - which cannot be compared to what motivates a young driver, with so much to prove and experience.

If anything, if he was a serious Max Verstappen/ Charles Leclerc/ Lando Norris, young Stroll should be beating Alonso. Matching the veteran or at least in his slipstream in every FP session, every Qualy and every race. But Lance is nowhere near.

Never fear, according to De la Rosa the Canadian is grafting hard: "What people don't realize is how hard he works, how dedicated he is to getting back into the simulator and digging through the data to see how he can improve. That's how I saw how much potential he really has."

[

Note to Pedro: "Are you serious? They all do that! Even from home, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris style. And please let's drop the word 'potential' when talking Lance. For your own credibility.]

The biggest bullsh!t interview with an ex-F1 driver in memory

And therein lies the crux of this piece to F1 team PR people, their Ambassadors, their influencers etc. Don't lie so blatantly. Avoid the subject rather.

The "potential of Lance" who according to PDLR is a guy "faster than Alonso" in some places and a "big explosion of talent" waiting to happen must go down as the biggest bullsh!t interview with an ex-F1 driver in memory. History?

[Author's Note: Sadly for me, respect for De la Rosa dropped a notch because he not only sullied his own reputation (how can he be taken seriously, and how convincing are his past utterances?) as a pundit or even an Ambassador.

He could have diplomatically replied that Lance is a 'Work in Progress' or the classic "No comment" always works a treat and is far better than fibbing.

Then talking up Stroll at the expense of Alonso is a two-faced insult at the great Spaniard by De la Rosa. He appears to have spared little in this obvious and embarrassing brown-nose job for the benefit of the boss who signs his cheques. I thought Pedro, the gentleman that he is, would be better than that.