Lance Stroll just got destroyed by Nico Rosberg

2016 F1 world champion Nico Rosberg has aimed a slight at Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll, claiming that Fernando Alonso does not have a high-level team-mate to be judged against.

Despite being 44 years of age, Alonso has had a fine 2025 season, outqualifying team-mate Stroll at every event throughout the year, and scoring 48 points in inconsistent Aston Martin machinery.

It has led to real hope that, if Aston Martin can provide a better car in 2026 when new regulations sweep into the sport under the stewardship of design legend Adrian Newey, Alonso may be able to challenge for a 33rd career victory.

But former Mercedes driver Rosberg has said that it's hard to judge whether or not Alonso is beginning to slow down as he gets older, due to the calibre of his team-mate.

Stroll has been vastly outperformed by Alonso in all three seasons that the pair have spent as team-mates, while 40-year-old Lewis Hamilton is up against a supremely talented Charles Leclerc, which Rosberg believes is making the seven-time champion look like he's struggling more than he is.

"Fernando doesn't have a level of team-mate like Charles Leclerc, ok," Rosberg said live on Sky Sports F1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. "Or Max Verstappen, yeah? Or Lando Norris, so it's very hard to judge his level of performance properly, you know, in a way that you can look at Lewis' level now against someone like Charles. It's not a fair comparison."

Will Alonso win a race in 2026?

Alonso's longevity in F1 is incredible, and he has competed in the most F1 races in the history of the sport.

His career started all the way back in the 2001 season with Minardi, and he won both the 2005 and 2006 world championships with Renault.

At 44 years old, Alonso's hopes of a third world championship title may be fading away, but he could still claim a 33rd career grand prix victory.

Alonso has not won a race since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, but does have a contract that runs until the end of next season, and may even go on beyond that.

The Spaniard has said that, if Aston Martin provide him with a car that's fighting for race wins in 2026, he'll be happy to retire, but if they're still struggling for top 10 finishes, he may well carry on beyond that.

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