Lance Stroll was born on October 29, 1988, to Canadian-Belgian couple Lawrence Stroll and Claire-Ann Callens The former is a renowned businessman with a whopping net worth of $3.9 billion, and Lance’s mother has made quite a name for herself with her prowess in the fashion industry.
Born in Montreal, Canada Lance’s junior career in racing began at the age of 10, and after growing through the ranks, he reached F1 with Williams in 2017 at the age of just 18. Lawrence reportedly paid $80 million to the British outfit to help his son get this seat. After leaving the Grove-based outfit, Lance joined Racing Point, a team that his father bought and later rebranded to Aston Martin.
Baby Lance and Lawrence matching clothes… ❤️ pic.twitter.com/oNyfjJvrNe
— LANCE HOME RACE¹⁸ (@lance_str0ll) May 13, 2024
Lance’s future in F1 is rarely in danger, largely owing to Lawrence’s position in the sport. But his mother Claire gets concerned about Lance’s welfare at times. In 2023, the Canadian driver suffered a spate of bad luck that saw him crash the car several times. After a similar incident in Singapore, Claire urged him to quit F1.
Lawrence, on the other hand, has backed his son’s ambition to continue in the sport for as long as he wants. Having been a racer himself in the yesteryear, Lawrence has played a catalytic role in grooming his son for the discipline. Among the heavy investments is the Circuit Mont Tremblant in Canada, which Stroll Sr. bought for his son to hone his skills on.
Lawrence’s ambitions, however, don’t stop at having his son just be an F1 driver. He wants him to win the Championship. For the same reason, he has invested heavily in the Silverstone-based outfit, and wants them to be at the front shortly. Lance, unfortunately, has not lived up to those expectations.
Lance Stroll: Always engulfed in controversy
Ever since stepping foot in F1, Lance has faced criticisms over his credentials. His father paying a huge amount of money to get him in, and then owning the team he drivers for hasn’t helped him shake off the ‘pay driver’ tag.
Stroll, who has three podium finishes in his career, has learned to ignore the chatter. That was until recently, when he boasted his race craft by comparing himself to his two time World Champion teammate Fernando Alonso. Lance cited the 4-4 head to head qualifying record (for 2024) between himself and Alonso to prove his worth to Aston Martin.
Stroll compara sus números con los de Alonso
️ “Es bicampeón del mundo. La gente lo ve como uno de los mejores pilotos de la F1, y estamos 4-4 en clasificación este año”
️ Sobre las críticas: “Lo mío es hablar en la pista”#F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/70u6r380rh— SoyMotor.com (@SoyMotor) June 7, 2024
Fellow Canadian and former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve feels that the Strolls won’t give up on their dream of becoming Champions. GrandPrix247 quoted him as saying,
“A billionaire father can stick with his son for as long as he likes! That was the only reason for getting into F1. Lawrence is not one to admit defeat. He will fight it until he is proven right.”
Alonso has struggled in 2024, largely due to Aston Martin’s underperformance. Still, Lance hasn’t been able to match up to him. Before going after a potential Title, the 25-year-old will look to bridge the gap to the Spaniard first.
