Lance Stroll, the son of billionaire Lawrence Stroll, was subjected to a massive wake-up call by Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya, the F1 great, while speaking on SkySports, believes the Canadian needs to be kicked on his “butt” and get his performance together.
Stroll Jr., who was subjected to $100 million exposure by his father just to keep him in F1, is one of the luckiest drivers alive. Aside from being regarded as a pay driver, he is also regarded as the only permanent man on the grid, and for obvious reasons.
Having said that, one needs to remember that having money doesn’t guarantee a long-term seat in F1. In the case of Stroll, he has been a consistent performer in the junior category and has shown glimpses of it in F1.
Some examples are the pole position in the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix with Racing Point or two podium finishes that year in Italy and Bahrain [Sakhir]. Despite this, Montoya believes he needs a push.
Montoya wants someone to kick Stroll’s “butt”
The Colombian former racing driver believes Stroll with a good car underneath him, belongs to the top side of F1, despite his recent Monaco GP’s dismal performance.
“Lance has a good chance, he is much better than people think, he is greatly underestimated,” said Montoya to Skysports. However, the Grand Prix veteran also believes that with Alonso by his side, he can also have further development. On this, Montoya told Sky Sports F1 podcast, “But Lance has undergone a lot of development and I think Fernando will help him get a lot better.”
But, for everything, Stroll needs someone to push him. “I think he needs someone to kick his butt. He has to get out of his comfort zone,” Montoya concluded on Lance Stroll.
How is Lance Stroll doing in 2023?
The 24-year-old driver has been off-color this season. Despite having the second fastest car beneath him, Stroll failed to make it count and help Aston Martin as he is languishing at the bottom in the driver’s standings.
With no significant performance to note or any podium finish, Stroll is in P8 with 27 points. Whereas his teammate Alonso is in P3 with 93 points and five podiums, despite having the same car.
As things stand, it is believed Lance Stroll can take a breather until and unless Lawrence Stroll owns the team. Other than that, there might be chances that he might lose his seat.
