Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll argues that misfortune has impacted his son Lance’s F1 results in 2023.
It is no secret that Aston Martin has become less competitive in the later stages of 2023. A series of failed upgrades have prevented the British team from staying at the front, with rivals overtaking them with mid-season updates.
However, amidst this decline, another issue has emerged for Team Silverstone. Despite the team’s difficulties, Fernando Alonso is still securing vital points – including a fantastic podium at Zandvoort. The same cannot be said for teammate Lance Stroll.
The Canadian driver has recorded zero points from the last five rounds and has failed to make Q3 in seven consecutive events. To be clear, the AMR23 is no longer a top three or even a top four machine. Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren are faster at this stage.
Still, the lack of points contribution from Stroll is increasingly worrying. The 24-year-old is less than five points ahead of the Alpine duo in the standings – which could see him drop outside the top 10.
Lawrence defends Lance
In response to this, team owner Lawrence Stroll insists that his son’s performances have been impacted by misfortune:
“Lance started the year on the back foot with two broken wrists for the first half-dozen races, which was very challenging, but really did a heroic job – and he’s had an unfortunate amount of bad luck,” he told Sky Sports.
“He’s had nine retirements due to engine failures, or a rear-wing fail [in Japan].
“Half of the races, it hasn’t been anything to do with his own abilities. He has just had a lot of bad luck, sadly.”
Meanwhile, team Mike Krack has eluded to Aston Martin’s upgrades as an issue for Stroll, upsetting his comfort with set-up and balance. Dan Fallows and his technical team are working on updates to reverse their negative trajectory. This weekend in America will be an early indication of their progression on this front.
Since joining Formula 1, Stroll has been subject to sustained criticism. Moreover, the financial support offered by his father has augmented the scrutiny of his abilities.
When the Canadian first joined the Silverstone-based team, there was already frustration amongst F1 fans. This is because financial constraints at Force India forced the team to replace the highly rated Esteban Ocon (who was matching experienced teammate Sergio Perez) with Stroll.
Since then, the team has turned into Aston Martin – and gone under the ownership of Lawerence Stroll. The likes of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg have missed out on contracts with the team due to Stroll’s unique position.
Stroll’s position remains secure
Despite all this, Stroll performed respectably against Sebastian Vettel. The 4-time Champion was still the faster driver, but the gap was small enough that the Canadian’s place was not overly questioned.
Even at the start of 2023, most F1 news outlets overwhelmingly approved the #18 driver. His points finish in Bahrain through injury resulted in consistently positive coverage.
Unfortunately for the Aston Martin driver, things changed after a few rounds. Poor weekends in Miami and Monaco were the first stumbling blocks. His latest Q1 elimination in Qatar didn’t help. This is especially true given he shoved his personal trainer after leaving the car. To be clear, Aston remains committed to keeping him in the team.
Lance Stroll is already confirmed for 2024, and his poor results haven’t resulted in any meaningful internal criticisms. Lawrence Stroll continues to support and defend the 24-year-old’s efforts in the sport. In the long term, however, Aston Martin might be forced to show more ambition with their driver line-up.
