Aston Martin kingpin believes Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will be “equal” by the end of the season

Fernando Alonso has spearheaded Aston Martin's rise to the front this season with his consistent results. Alonso stood on the podium on five occasions in the first seven races, while teammate Lance Stroll has struggled to match the veteran's pace.

Despite the discrepancies, Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll reckons his son will 'equal' his two-time world champion teammate by the end of the season. The team owner's claims are backed by Lance Stroll's upturn in performance in the Spanish GP, where he qualified and finished ahead of Alonso in the race.

Ahead of the Canadian GP, Lawrence said (as quoted by ESPN):

"I think he [Lance] demonstrated in Barcelona he's now starting, it took six or seven races, to feel better ... I believe they [the two drivers] will be equal by the end of the season."

Lance Stroll put in commendable efforts in the season opener in Bahrain as he drove to a P6 finish after breaking both wrists in a cycling accident weeks before the season began.

Since then, Lance has been unable to match Fernando Alonso's pace on the rest of the weekends. Alonso failed to deliver a flawless weekend in his home GP, as a trip to the gravel in the qualifying session derailed his weekend's trajectory.

Lance Stroll and his father Lawrence Stroll

His teammate, who qualified ahead, maintained his position in the race to finish ahead for the first time in the season. After the weekend in Barcelona, veteran Alonso sits third in the driver's standings with 99 points, while Lance is eighth in the standings with 35 points.

The Spaniard has put his home race in the rearview mirror as he is excited for the Canadian GP, where the team is bringing major upgrades. Hailing from Montreal, team owner Lawrence Stroll shares the same feelings as Alonso.

Heading into his home race, the 63-year-old said:

"I'm extremely confident. I believe the car will be very strong around the Montreal circuit, it suits our car well ... so I'm really looking forward to going home and really looking forward to a great race."

The Canadian native expects both his drivers to be on the podium this weekend.

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2x F1 champion predicts when Fernando Alonso's pace will decline

Fernando Alonso in the Spanish GP

At the age of 41, Fernando Alonso is still delivering consistent results every weekend. The Spaniard's pace at such an age has left many pundits baffled and in awe of the two-time world champion.

Former McLaren driver Mika Hakkinen predicts that Alonso's speed will disappear if he doesn't win a race by the end of the year. The two-time world champion said during an analysis for Unibet:

"He is doing an incredible job and has great patience to run without winning because you are there to win. But one thing I know is if he doesn’t win this year, his speed will start declining. It’s a rule of physics."

Fernando Alonso's last win came a decade ago in the 2013 Spanish GP, and since then, his 33rd victory has eluded him. Alonso had his best start to the season in the last decade and is poised to get a race win if both Red Bull drivers get unlucky.