Alonso and Stroll turned frustration into fun in Suzuka scrap

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso turned an otherwise difficult afternoon into an unlikely highlight at the Japanese Grand Prix, admitting they found “a fun part” of the race while battling each other at the very back of the field.

It’s been a bruising start to the season for the Silverstone-based outfit and engine partner Honda, with reliability issues and lack of pace leaving the team struggling to keep up.

But at Suzuka, that struggle briefly turned into entertainment.

Before Stroll’s race ended on lap 30 due to a suspected water leak, he and Alonso spent much of the race fighting locked in what the Canadian driver described as their own little “Aston Martin championship.”

And Stroll, embracing the moment, didn’t hide his enjoyment:

“I was enjoying the race, it’s a great track to drive, so I was enjoying the laps around this special track and enjoying the little Aston Martin battle with Fernando in last and second to last,” Stroll told reporters.

“I passed him and then we were in our little Aston Martin-Honda championship just battling there for 30 laps or something, which was fun.”

Alonso: ‘Some fun there’ – until it ended

Alonso revealed that the intra-team scrap had even been anticipated before the race began, with both drivers aware they might be running in isolation from the rest of the field.

“We talked before the race that maybe our race will be a little bit more lonely and if both cars run together that was maybe some good information as well, in terms of energy and different maps on the engine, so there was some fun there,” commented the Spaniard.

“Unfortunately he had to retire the car and we missed the second part of the fun.”

Stroll’s retirement not only ended their on-track duel but also cut short a valuable opportunity to gather comparative data – something the team is in urgent need of as it looks to recover from its early-season struggles.

A small step forward in a difficult start

While Alonso crossed the line in 18th, a lap down, the result still marked a quiet milestone: Aston Martin finally completed a full race distance this season.

“We have many boxes to tick and this was one of them, finishing a race distance," Alonso explained.

"We didn’t manage in Australia, China or the first test, so it’s the very first time and hopefully the team has enough data to understand a little more the car and get in a better place for the next one.

“So we got to Australia 100% sure that we could not finish the race. The following week in China, 95% convinced we could not finish the race and now in race three, we finish.

“It's not the pace that we want, but there is some progress and some work in the team to keep improving. So, yeah, hopefully the first step for everyone to motivate both factories to keep improving.”

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• Krack: First race finish for Aston Martin ‘no reason to celebrate’

Despite ongoing vibration issues, Alonso described the problem as manageable – enough to at least see the chequered flag.

“I know they are working really hard,” he continued. “Since Australia, we are constantly talking and I know this was a special race for Honda here and we wanted to deliver the best.

“The best, unfortunately, was only finishing the race.

“But I think it's something already to show that we are committed to help them and to be close to them. It's tough for everybody, but we are one team and we will get better together.”

For Aston Martin, the Japanese Grand Prix brought little in terms of results – but thanks to Stroll and Alonso’s unexpected duel, it wasn’t without its enjoyable moments.

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