Lance Stroll has told those who question his abilities as a Formula 1 driver to take notice of his results on the track.
The 25-year-old is embarking on his eight season as an F1 driver. It is his sixth with Aston Martin, which is owned by his father Lawrence.Last year Stroll scored 74 points and finished 10th in the championship. Team mate Fernando Alonso out-scored him by a rate of almost three to one and ended the year fourth in the standings.
However Stroll said he pays no heed to those who suggest he owes his place in F1 to his father’s backing, and question whether he deserves a seat on merit.
“Everyone has their opinion, but I do my talking on the track,” Stroll told the team’s official website.
“I’ve had an incredible journey with my father in motorsport. From go-karting days, through the junior formulas and today in Formula 1, what we’ve accomplished together has been amazing.
Stroll’s start to 2023 was compromised when he injured his wrists in a cycling accident. The team’s form dipped at mid-season, but Stroll ended the year in better shape, taking a pair of fifth places in Brazil and Las Vegas.
“We finished off the season strong,” he said. “It was fun to have those last few races, really kicking butt – having some good results in Brazil and Vegas. I’ve trained hard and prepared well. I’m ready for the season to start in Bahrain.”
He said the team needs to perform more consistently across a range of different circuits this season.
“We want to build on last year,” he said. “We had a very strong car last year – but not everywhere. It was very strong at certain tracks and then at other tracks, we faced some challenges. We want to perform consistently well this year.
“Last year, we came out really strong for the first five, six, seven races and then other teams caught up. We came back strong at the end, but we weren’t as strong throughout the season as we were at the beginning, so we want to consistently fight for good points, podiums, and a first win in green.”
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Mr A
27th February 2024, 17:23
Lol
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
28th February 2024, 13:56
Foot meet mouth. And the rest of us base our comments on the “talking” Stroll does on the track.
GatheK
27th February 2024, 17:25
Well, he’s not good at talking then
BasCB (@bascb)
27th February 2024, 17:29
Yes, Lance, please do that.
Show us some of the really awesome (wet weather?) drives we’ve seen from you occasionally in the past. Spare us the the needless mistakes, lacklustre drives and embarrassing difference in pace to your teammate we have seen far more often.
In other words earn your place in the sport in a top 5 team from your qualities as a driver.
Red Pill (@redpill)
28th February 2024, 5:38
@bascb
Agreed, with how log he’s been in F1 already and on a team where he gets heard and given attention, there’s no more excuses and I think this should be the year where if he was ever going to shine in his F1 career, this should be it.
After several very disappointing seasons in a car proven to be rather fast and reliable, this is the year to do his best.
“I do my talking on the track”, is a great saying and admiringly very bold for a driver to say; especially when the driving has not had much to say in the last few seasons.
He really needs to to do well, because another bad season is the type of talking no one gets to keep doing in F1. I wish him success
Jeanrien (@jeanrien)
28th February 2024, 8:24
Sorry to disappoint, I think he meant grabbing a long chair to sit next to Alonso next time he has a retirement.
SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
27th February 2024, 17:38
Seven years in at this point. I’m not holding my breath for this, honestly. If it was there, it would’ve been shown by now.
Edvaldo
27th February 2024, 17:39
someone should tell him that you have to back it up after you say it.
notagrumpyfan
28th February 2024, 9:04
He is saying the exact opposite ;)
Archibald Bumfluff
27th February 2024, 17:42
I’m rooting for Lance.
The amount of flak the dude gets online, it seems like he needs some fans.
His season was compromised last year with his injury, he missed all of testing and drove the first few races in pain.
He wasn’t as far behind Vettel as he was behind Alonso and remember that he managed a few podiums in the pink Mercedes.
He’s not the next Senna, but he can be pretty good sometimes.
José Lopes da Silva
27th February 2024, 18:29
Charles Pic, Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Giovinazzi were not also the next Sennas, but they also could be pretty good sometimes.
Retired (@jeff1s)
27th February 2024, 21:27
Charles Pic ! Long time no see. He’s F2 DAMS team principal now
José Lopes da Silva
28th February 2024, 13:27
Good to know and good for him
MichaelN
27th February 2024, 19:11
True, but there’s only so much those Aston Martins could do. As often happens, that’s more of a limiting factor for the better driver. And Vettel still took two 2nd places, whereas Stroll never got nowhere close.
But anyway, Stroll can definitely be a solid driver. At times. He just isn’t performing at his peak nearly often enough to justify this long a career. This kind of tough talking rings a bit hollow, because if he couldn’t do it before – why start only now?
MurasamaRA300 (@murasamara300)
28th February 2024, 8:06
I agree, Stroll is getting too much flak (same for Perez).
Also the Aston Martin team wouldn’t be there at all today if it wasn’t for the Strolls.
Without them, F1 could have been decimated to 18 cars.
Stroll has three podiums and last season was definitely hampered by the hand injuries.
Alonso & Vettel aren’t exactly the easiest teammates to beat either.
———————————
“He has his moments,” (as Pyotr Tchaikovsky [allegedly] commented on the music of Richard Wagner), “but he also has his quarters of an hours“.
Senna was the Mozart of F1, Michael Schumacher was the JS Bach and Max Verstappen is obviously van Beethoven.
And Lance Stroll gets Richard Wagner – “He has his moments”. :)
Bring out your Nibelungen Ring, Lance!
baasbas
28th February 2024, 8:14
@murasamara300
To complete the analogy: Wagner also makes pretty okay supermarket-deep-freeze pizza’s. I’m just interested in him moving on to his next career.
Alex
27th February 2024, 17:46
I think it’s the right response.
We have an experienced, fast set of Formula One drivers at the moment. Lance Stroll is near the back of that group for talent, and probably last in terms of potential – but he’s also not miles adrift. He was beaten comfortably by Alonso last year, but isn’t the first to suffer that fate; and as pay drivers go, I think he’s been better than many.
If I had his 10th-percentile F1 talent and the chance to go racing, then I’d go racing too.
Now, Lawrence Stroll and the people around him running Aston Martin should recognise that while Lance is okay as F1 driver, and was arguably good enough to be worth a trial (possibly even a seat for a year), he’s had years now and there are better prospects out there. I’d like to see Lance replaced with a younger, faster driver who deserves a shot. But it’s Lawrence and the other Aston decision-makers who ought to make that happen; their decisions that are holding back other people.
The kid who has a chance to go racing? Best of luck to him.
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
27th February 2024, 20:04
Is he even a pay driver anymore? He’s just there, keeping a seat warm.
Maybe he’s doing it out of care for the workers, as the second he gets bored and leaves, Daddy’s little ‘Grow your own World Champion’ adventure will end…
Simon
27th February 2024, 21:58
More like a mix of “pay driver” because Daddy bought the team, then “placed driver” because a seat is ‘conveniently’ filled in Daddy’s team
MacLeod (@macleod)
28th February 2024, 7:47
He is a ‘pay driver’ in the old sense that daddy bought a team to do that doesn’t matter. While he is a decent average driver we see after those years he isn’t going anywhere. (fysic or sportive way)
I saw him driving in the 2014 Ferrari Summer races (which also featered a young Max Verstappen,Will Buxton and several other drivers) He isn’t very fast constant how he was overtaking by Max on the outside should a warning that there are much better drivers then him.
So this season will be the decisive if he doesn’t beat Alonso and get a lot of podiums he will quit?
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
27th February 2024, 17:59
Well stop coming across as a five year old and walk the walk Pal.
Fernando says more nice things about you than your Dad …. have you noticed that?
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
27th February 2024, 21:55
This comment doesn’t make you sound very mature either.
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
27th February 2024, 18:13
So – he’s not saying much o track or off then I guess
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
27th February 2024, 18:18
So – he’s not saying much ON track or off then I guess – I really should check before posting.
Harry (@harrydymond)
27th February 2024, 18:36
Lance Stroll says that naysayers should “take notice of his results on the track” – well, that’s exactly what we have been doing, isn’t it Lance? That’s the whole point! Your results on the track aren’t good enough, and you should give way to someone with more talent.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
27th February 2024, 18:40
Well, last year it was more like a mumble…
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
28th February 2024, 1:32
Lance does his mumbling on the track.
isthatglock21
27th February 2024, 21:48
I let my trust fund do the talking…
SteveR (@stever)
27th February 2024, 23:06
Unfortunately, Lance, we’ve done exactly that…..
Maciek (@maciek)
28th February 2024, 3:04
Classic rich kid overestimating his abilities in the face of plain evidence to the contrary.
notagrumpyfan
28th February 2024, 9:18
Commented on by the classic commenters on social media ;)
Dex
28th February 2024, 6:55
You lost all your battles, yet you talk. This is what you get when someone grows up in a bubble. Grow up, daddy’s boy; you can only lie to yourself and your family. Everybody talks about Perez underperforming (and he is at least half a second slower than Verstappen), yet I remember how he overtook you with ease, driving the same car, but with much older tires. That’s you. And he’s not the only teammate who did that to you. Alonso even had to show you mercy and keep driving behind you in a race, to appease your daddy. You talk on the track for how many years already? Perhaps you should stop talking, on or off-track.
notagrumpyfan
28th February 2024, 10:18
How does it feel writing this missive to Lance, knowing that he will never read it?
But maybe it’s just be an inexpensive therapy recommended by a book or professional ;)
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
28th February 2024, 12:45
More like a careless whisper
Mat
28th February 2024, 14:08
If you can’t get it right to now, I think the talking has already been done on the track. Even if this guy was to have the best year of his life it wouldn’t make him a good driver.
Shimks (@shimks)
29th February 2024, 6:34
I do my mumbling on the track.
Dale
29th February 2024, 20:51
How many years on track … how many times has he beaten his teammate?
That would be zero …
Gary
1st March 2024, 8:14
A race seat at Aston Martin is in the top 10 of the available drives in Motorsport.
Is Lance Stroll in the top 10 of all of motorsport?