Talking to AS, Lewis Hamilton once said, “We live in a time where this sport has become a billionaire boys’ club.” Well, we’re not sure how much of this is true, but what’s true is Lance Stroll has a fixed seat at Aston Martin. Thanks to his “billionaire” father Lawrence Stroll owning the team, the young Canadian would never have to worry about his seat on the British team. However, a former F1 driver once thought it was about time it changes and he urged Stroll Sr. for the same.
In June last year, on the F1 Nation podcast, former F1 driver Johnny Herbert said, “Lance has had a bit of a difficult time of late. I sometimes think there is a certain time that, if it doesn’t quite happen, Lawrence has got to go ‘son, I’ve given you a chance. It isn’t quite working out, and I’ve got to do what’s right for the team.'”
Herbert further asserted, “I think there will be a point that’s going to happen. I don’t exactly know when that will be, but it’s down to Lance actually to do the job that he needs to do and consistently do that job. At the moment, it’s a little bit scrappy.”
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READ MORE: Lance Stroll Given Bleak Peek Into Fernando Alonso Dominance: “Never Failed”
Stroll finished P15 in 2022 with 18 points while his teammate Sebastian Vettel finished P12 with 37 points. As the former F1 star opened up about the lack of performance Lance Stroll has been showing in the 2022 F1 season and before, he also emphasized how Vettel deserves a different teammate at the team, for the overall betterment.
Instead of Sebastian Vettel, it is Lance Stroll who got a new teammate
Johnny Herbert, he urged Aston Martin and Lawrence Stroll to get a new teammate for Sebastian Vettel despite the Canadian showering $80 million on the team in recent years. Ironically, it is Lance Stroll who got a teammate at the Silverstone-based team, instead.
Taking time out to say hello to the team at AMF1 HQ. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/2E01t6YHr2
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) January 27, 2023
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After Vettel decided to retire from F1 last year, Fernando Alonso used the opportunity and switched teams. And hence, the Spaniard is to start his first season alongside Stroll this year.
Stroll, full of praise for Alonso, shared with Motorsport Total, “We’ve spent some time together, chatting at the drivers’ shows and all that. He’s a good guy and a great driver, a great talent. It’s not fun when you’re driving without anyone pushing you.”
“What you want in a teammate is for him to be at the top of his potential. That means that when you can do better than him and vice versa, you are at your best,” further stated the Canadian.
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All in all, drivers may come and go, but the future of Lance Stroll is safe, as long as Lawrence Stroll is in charge.