Hiring champions like Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, investing $200 million to upgrade the team’s infrastructure, and bringing in technical geniuses like Adrian Newey and Andy Cowell — Lawrence Stroll has thrown the kitchen sink to make Aston Martin a championship-winning outfit in F1.
However, there is one factor that has often held back the Silverstone-based outfit — Lawrence’s son, Lance Stroll. The Canadian businessman has always dreamed of his son getting the chance to become a world champion amid Aston Martin turning successful at the pinnacle of motorsport.
But Stroll Sr. could be conveniently ignoring the reality that his son may not have the ingredients to be an F1 champion. In such a scenario, all his efforts could see a rude awakening when Lance may not be able to deliver the performances needed for Aston Martin to come out on top in a championship battle.
F1 journalists on ESPN’s Unlapped podcast recently discussed the #18 driver’s situation and how his lack of skill relative to someone like Alonso could prove counterproductive to Aston’s title hopes. In fact, Nate Saunders was quite candid in his assessment of the 26-year-old Canadian.
“I think we are all being quite kind to Lance Stroll here. I think he sucks,” Saunders stated. His colleague Laurence Edmondson, however, did not provide such a harsh assessment of Lance. Edmondson explained how Lance is currently helpless as Aston Martin do not have the car to win.
The Sky F1 commentator has predicted that Lance Stroll may opt to leave the sport behind completely at the end of 2024! #Stroll #AstonMartin #F1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/xhrFDuULG1
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) August 3, 2023
However, that did not change Saunders’ perspective about Lance. He stated how the #18 driver could falter when it really matters and that is a fact Aston Martin are sweeping under the carpet at the moment.
“The thing I fear for Aston Martin from a title-winning perspective is Lawrence Stroll will realize Lance isn’t the guy in the car, too late when they have the car,” he added.
As things stand, Aston seem set to stay in the midfield for the 2025 season, unless they make a late-season resurgence under Newey’s guidance, who joins the team in March. But 2026 could clear the air on where Lance stands relative to Alonso if the Silverstone outfit give them a race-winning car.
Stroll’s litmus test in 2026
Aston Martin have assembled all the resources they need to have an overhaul to their car performance for the 2026 season. From being underdogs in the midfield, they had shown glimpses of becoming a top team in the first half of 2023.
With Newey’s arrival, Aston would want to double down on that purple patch of form to establish itself as a long-time frontrunner in F1. A state-of-the-art wind tunnel and factory will further aid the likes of Newey, Cowell, Enrico Cardile, and other technical leaders to produce a championship-capable car for 2026.
So, the onus will be passed on to Alonso and Stroll, who will have to maximize the potential of that machinery on track. While there is no doubt about Alonso having the capability to harness every inch of performance, the Canadian driver’s ability will be under immense scrutiny.
Stroll has a handful of podiums to his name with just one pole, which all came prior to 2021. In the last three seasons, the 26-year-old has hardly secured any major results, even during the 2023 season when his two-time world champion teammate clinched eight podiums.
In fact, Stroll’s points tally that year (74) was just one short of his best season back in 2020 (75). Beating someone like Alonso would probably always be a far-fetched dream for Stroll, regardless of the appreciation and motivation he receives from the Spaniard and Aston Martin.
On current form, it is unlikely that the #18 driver could be able to fight for wins and the championship if Aston Martin do become competitive in 2026. So, it will be interesting to see how his father, who owns the team, reacts to Lance’s form then.
