Fernando Alonso takes aim at Esteban Ocon now as the Spaniard relishes having a 'smart' teammate in Lance Stroll

Esteban Ocon is the latest target of a Fernando Alonso dig as the Spaniard relishes having a 'smart' teammate in Lance Stroll at Aston Martin.

The relationship between Stroll and Alonso has been something that has caught the eye of many this season. The two teammates have gotten along very well but what has been even more interesting has been Fernando Alonso claiming he felt like an elder brother to Lance at Aston Martin.

This did however not happen at Alpine with Esteban Ocon as the two drivers continued to be at loggerheads. There was hardly anything to choose between Fernando Alonso and his teammate throughout the season. This meant that most of the time the two teammates were fighting over the same piece of tarmac with neither giving an inch and hence the prevalent tension between the two.

Taking aim at his previous relationship, Fernando Alonso felt that one of the reasons why things worked with Lance is because he is a smart teammate. The Spaniard told Sky Sports:

"Yes, I tried to help Lance but we cannot forget that also he's very smart. And he's a driver that I think as a teammate, as we saw in Baku, we spoke about maybe saving tyres, we didn't know exactly in a sprint format, how long the tyres will last… we were saving tyres and he said, 'I will not attack Fernando.'"

He added:

"Last year I had like maybe the opposite. Always, you know, my teammate, like the first target was me. So that was obviously not beneficial for the team. So, I think Lance is playing also a part in this relationship."

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Fernando Alonso mentions a meeting within the team before the car launch early in the year

Fernando Alonso mentioned a meeting within the team early in the year where the Spaniard talked about how the team decided what would be the best way forward if they have to compete with the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes. He said:

"We had this goal in the team which we spoke about. I remember the day before the launch of the car in February in the factory. What was the goal of the team with (team principal) Mike Krack and (chief executive) Martin Whitmarsh?"

"I think we all agree that we need to play this kind of game - you know if you want to be the opposition, we are fighting against very big teams, Ferrari, Mercedes and our strength is to score points with both cars."

It has been interesting to see how good the relationship between Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso has been at Aston Martin. In terms of setting the foundation for a future championship bid, the 2023 F1 season has been a great stepping stone.