The recently concluded Sao Paulo GP may have been the lowest point of Lance Stroll’s 2024 season so far. His crash, along with teammate Fernando Alonso’s incident in qualifying, gave the team’s mechanics a herculean task: getting both cars race-ready within just a few hours. While they managed to pull that off, the effort on Stroll’s car went in vain as he beached it in the gravel during the formation lap.
Despite the disappointing run, The Red Flags Podcast’s Matt Elisofon argued that the Canadian wasn’t as bad as he was made out to be, given that he hated his job, still scored points regularly, and did not crash too often. Elisofon cited Stroll‘s lackluster interviews and supposed disinterest in F1 to support this claim. Surprisingly, former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner agreed with the assessment.
“I agree with him. He never seems to be happy, whatever happens. So would he be a world champion if he would be happy? I don’t know about that one, you know. Because some people can be good even when they’re unhappy. Or we think he’s unhappy and maybe it’s just his expression, you know,” said Steiner.
Am I only the person to feel a *little* sorry for Lance Stroll for this particular incident and all the stick he’s getting for it?
Not the first driver to spin on FL/under SC + haven’t we all driven through gravel/water which is deeper than we realise?pic.twitter.com/HdtY2Z7a3G
— Josh (@joshuasuttill) November 4, 2024
The ex-F1 team boss believes Stroll’s disinterest in racing has been so evident that he wouldn’t even be in F1 if his father Lawrence did not own the team. Stroll’s attitude, according to Steiner, has resulted in critics not paying much attention to him.
But will this immunity from criticism and scrutiny last forever? The answer to this question depends a lot on Aston Martin’s future. Given the amount of investment Lawrence Stroll has made in the factory and to hire talents like Adrian Newey, the team might be headed for better days.
How a competitive Aston Martin could put Stroll under pressure
Lawrence made it clear long back that he wasn’t in F1 just for the sake of it. The intent became evident when he got Sebastian Vettel on board. While the four-time champion’s departure was a blow to the team’s development, replacing him with Fernando Alonso was a masterstroke.
The Spaniard’s arrival followed a bunch of high-profile hirings, which included former Red Bull tech boss Dan Fallows. Aston Martin’s latest bigshot signing is that of Newey’s and many believe it to be the last piece in the puzzle for Lawrence Stroll to win the championship.
However, that will spot a brighter light on Stroll, who must match Alonso’s performance. Failing to do so will undoubtedly make him the subject of some scathing criticism, somewhat along the lines of what Sergio Perez is under currently. Holding the team back might even make Lawrence Stroll reconsider his own son’s position in the team.
