Stroll stays as Alonso tipped for shock Aston Martin exit

Former F1 star Johnny Herbert has tipped Aston Martin to axe Fernando Alonso from their driver lineup rather than Lance Stroll should the team have to choose between the pair.

Two-time world champion Alonso is a legend of the sport, having raced on and off in F1 since the 2001 season.

Now 44 years of age, Alonso has enjoyed somewhat of a comeback in recent weeks, scoring 26 points from the last six race weekends having previously gone the first eight races of the season without picking up a single point.

It means that Alonso is now 11th in the drivers' championship, level on points with 26-year-old Stroll who was heavily beaten by Alonso in both 2023 and 2024 - their first two seasons as team-mates.

Herbert has now suggested that Stroll's ability to keep pace with Alonso throughout 2025 makes him the better option going forward, due to the 17-year age gap between the pair.

"Lance gets a lot of criticism, but once again he wasn't far off Fernando Alonso, who everyone still thinks very highly of," Herbert told Grosvenor Casino via Sport.de.

"Alonso is 43 [44]. Is Fernando the Fernando who won two world championships? I would say no. He was special in that era; what he did with the car back then was incredible.

Herbert acknowledged Alonso was coming to the end of his career and added: "that means we have to look at what benefits the team. Stroll's just as good as Fernando at the moment and might even get a little better."

Will Aston Martin sign Verstappen?

Aston Martin have constantly reiterated that they are happy with their driver pairing of Stroll and Alonso, and that the pair will see out their contracts, which run until the end of the 2026 season.

After that, however, their futures remain unclear. With new regulations sweeping into the sport, Aston Martin want to become a championship-challenging outfit.

That has led to rumours about them pursuing the likes of George Russell and four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

Verstappen has already confirmed that he will stay with Red Bull for 2026, but there is a strong feeling that he will then jump ship for the 2027 season, once he has seen which team has mastered the new regulations.

That team could well be Aston Martin, who have hired design legend Adrian Newey and former Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile.

"Would I prefer Max to Fernando? Yes, I would," Herbert mused, hinting at the rumours of an Aston Martin swoop for the Dutchman.

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