Every year, the hostility towards Lance Stroll rises. The fans often dislike the Canadian’s unofficial eternal contract because of his father’s ownership of the Aston Martin team. So, despite his rolling contract being up for renewal for 2025, Stroll is not yet part of the silly season. This scenario has made the #18 driver susceptible to a lot of contempt even from F1 experts now. He’s been bashed constantly by the brightest F1 minds for his under-par on-track performances. Despite that, his position in the circus has always been safe. However, that might change now.
Perhaps for the first time in his F1 career, Lance Stroll has expressed doubt over his future in the sport. It was understood that he would be continuing with another renewal of his rolling contract. However, Stroll has put that thought up for debate with his recent comments to the media as quoted by Formu1a.uno.
He said, “Time will tell. I mean, I’m just thinking about China right now, and we’ll see what the future holds. It’s China [the focus] this weekend.” That does not sound like a man confident about his future in the sport. Perhaps after investing millions into infrastructure in hopes of a championship, the Silverstone team is ready to take the bold step.
A decision many believe should come sooner rather than later because of Stroll’s continued subpar performances in a decent podium-capable car [in 2023]. It’s his performance against teammate Fernando Alonso that highlights the level of difference between what Aston have and what they need.
Lance Stroll vs. Fernando Alonso: How does he fair?
It would be unfair to pit the Lance Stroll against a two-time world champion. However, Alonso will turn 43 in three months, whereas, Lance Stroll will turn 26 in October. The age gap also reflects in the performance deficit, albeit in the veteran Alonso’s favor.
The Spaniard has outperformed Stroll in every aspect from the get-go. In fact, after spending an entire season together, Stroll managed to finish a race ahead of Alonso only four times across the 22 races last season. Overall, the #18 driver has beaten his highly experienced teammate only five times in 26 tries so far.
Speaking about points, Alonso finished the 2023 campaign with 206 points, in 4th. Lance Stroll on the other hand could only amass a total of 74 points in the same machinery. That’s a gap of 132 points. The current season battle has started on the same note. Alonso has already gathered 24 points compared to Stroll’s seven.
It’s more than likely Stroll will suffer yet another disappointing season in comparison. This is exactly why in the sixth season in a team owned by his father, the majority are suggesting Aston Martin let go of Lance Stroll. Whether it will happen is a different question altogether.
