13 February 2023 , 16:28
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Ralf Schumacher was quick to mock Fernando Alonso after the Spaniard's claim that his new Formula 1 team-mate is a "possible world champion".
The Spaniard appears to have embarked upon a charm offensive ahead of his first season with new team Aston Martin. He will be racing alongside Lance Stroll, who he has known for many years dating back to his Ferrari days.
Alonso appears to have a very high opinion of his Canadian team-mate. Stroll has three F1 podiums to his name in 122 starts since he made his debut with Williams in 2017, but the double world champion says he believes his new racing partner can go much further.
"In Lance, the team has a driver who is super young, super talented and has the possibility to be world champion," he recently said. "To see him achieve that and have played a part in that, whether that's behind the wheel or not, will be special for me.
"I've known Lance for 11 years. We met in 2012 when I was at Ferrari – he was in the Ferrari Academy. And I've known his father, Lawrence, for many years. He's a great friend of mine. I've been to his house in Canada a few times, doing different sports and enjoying time together.
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"He has the speed, and he has the talent. He has shown it many times, especially in wet conditions. I remember Lance's pole position in Turkey and some of his other excellent performances in the wet; to perform at that level in difficult conditions you have to have a special feeling with the car."
Not everybody agrees with that assessment. One of the nay-sayers is Schumacher, who posted a screengrab of a German news article referring to Alonso's words along with the caption: "Sure. And F1 cars can fly. Or is it April 1 yet?"
Schumacher's doubts about Stroll's ability should not come as too much of a surprise. He has been fiercely critical of the Canadian in the past, including after the first race of the 2022 season when he hammered Stroll for having been out-qualified by stand-in Nico Hulkenberg.
"Stroll should ask himself about whether he should find a different hobby, it was really embarrassing," said the pundit and former F1 racer. "It's an understatement to say that he was beaten by a team-mate... when someone who has not driven for a year and a half comes in and is three tenths faster than you straight away, you should think very carefully about whether you are doing everything right."