The Lance Stroll dilemma
What do you do if he continues to lag behind teammate Fernando Alonso?
Lance Stroll needs to improve at Aston Martin, but then again, if he doesn’t, will he really face consequences?
Stroll has struggled throughout 2023 to match his new teammate, two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso.
Fuel was poured onto this fire last weekend in Monaco. Alonso spent the race challenging for the win while Stroll was continuously bumping barriers at the back. (He’d picked up damage in qualifying and started way back).
The media certainly took notice of their diverging fortunes in their post-race coverage.
“Stroll’s form is starting to threaten Aston’s giant-killing,” was the headline from The Race.
RacingNews365.com declared: “Stroll is currently Aston Martin's weak link and is costing them.”
Stroll hasn’t really weighed in personally on this whole issue as far as I can tell, but he did seem to help himself out a bit in Spain.
On Saturday, Stroll out-qualified Alonso for the first time this year - though Alonso was slowed down by self-inflicted damage to his floor.
On Sunday, Stroll finished the Grand Prix in 6th as Aston Martin noticeably struggled to take the fight to Mercedes and Ferrari.
Alonso came home in 7th, less than a second behind Stroll. Late in the race, Alonso said on the radio he would not attack Stroll.
So, all in all, Alonso and Stroll finished the race practically equal. Stroll’s drive was respectable, but it won’t be enough to shut everyone up for good.
The editor-in-chief of The Race, Glenn Freeman, put it best on Twitter.
“Lance Stroll will be thinking it’s typical that when he finally has a better weekend, Aston Martin weren’t as competitive as they’ve been in other races.”
“However, that’s why you have to be on it *every* weekend. That’s what the truly great drivers do.”
Stroll is already having a discernible effect on Aston Martin’s tight battle with Ferrari and Mercedes.
Aston Martin has tended to have a quicker car than Mercedes for much of the season, but Mercedes now have an 18-point lead over Aston Martin in the standings.
What’s made the difference is that Mercedes have two high-performing drivers in Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
With Alonso and Stroll, there’s a clear ‘A’ and ‘B’ hierarchy. Alonso has 99 points while Stroll has just 35. Alonso has five podiums this season. Stroll has none.
Now if Aston Martin were Red Bull, Stroll would be sacked in favour of someone else. But Aston Martin aren’t Red Bull.
And Stroll is also likely to stay on simply because of that one peculiarity he’s become infamous for.
As I think you all know, Stroll’s billionaire father, Lawrence Stroll, is the chairman of Aston Martin. Effectively, Lance Stroll’s dad is the team owner.
Would Lawrence Stroll really demote his own son (or allow it to happen)? It seems unlikely.
But Lawrence Stroll is also a businessman and there’s no doubt a driver who is closer to Alonso’s level would help Aston Martin in the constructors’ championship.
Some of F1’s prize money is allocated depending on the championship standings, so ending up 2nd instead of 3rd could make a big difference financially.
Interestingly, Alonso has been a vocal defender of Stroll this year.
After Monaco, Alonso insisted that most of Stroll’s deficit was just down to bad luck.
“I really hope for him that he has more luck because I don’t think he is missing any pace,” Alonso told The Race.
Stroll now has to prove that Alonso’s words ring true - and the spotlight will be brighter than ever before.
Stroll has always attracted criticism because of his dad’s position as a team owner, but it was easier to escape when he raced in the chaotic midfield. The spotlight wasn’t on him every week.
That’s changed this year with Aston Martin catapulting themselves up the order. The stakes and expectations are higher.
To quash the criticism, Stroll has to be on it every weekend. He needs to match Alonso.
If he can’t, then Aston Martin is basically fighting Mercedes and Ferrari with one arm tied behind their back.
Can they really afford that?
While Monaco was an embarrassing fluke for our boy , and while he hasn't been as consistent or high scoring as Alonso, I think it's too early to tell. Wristgate gave him an uneasy start to the year, so I wouldn't be surprised if he's still getting his footing in this newer, faster car (that is probably the fastest car he's ever driven). If we get to the end of summer break and he's not making progress, then yeah what's up with Lance. But it's been five street circuits. Let's get into the track season and see how he does.
Wouldn't it be an amazing move if Lance said I'm done here being the boss' son, I'm off to race for Haase!! I'm not sure on what basis he could cut such a deal, but I'm sure he's got a few quid somewhere...