Lance Stroll is not beyond facing internal pressure from Aston Martin to perform, explains team principal Mike Krack.
Generally speaking, the Canadian driver is subject to scrutiny from the media and fans for his performances. This year’s campaign has been especially difficult for Stroll, whose gap relative to Alonso (in terms of performance and points) is substantial.
A reasonable first few rounds quickly morphed into an underwhelming season for the 25-year-old. The standings show this quite unequivocally, with Lance Stroll 11th in the standings – 130 points behind his teammate.
Despite these facts, the team is unwavering in their defence. Team owner Lawrence Stroll (Lance’s father) recently attributed this season’s poor results to bad luck. Meanwhile, team boss Mike Krack has sung a similar tune to the team owner.
Mike admits Kracks were forming
In a recent interview, however, the Aston Martin team principal has admitted that Stroll’s form is not entirely unnoticed by the team.
Speaking after the Canadian’s impressive drive from the pitlane to the points in COTA, he explained the importance of such a result.
“[Stroll] got a beating from [the media] for three of four months,” motorsprot-total quotes him as saying.
“So it was very good that he got a good result and that the situation calmed down for the time being.
“Because the pressure is increasing internally. It’s also difficult for the team because every little mistake is looked at.
“And I’m glad that we came back a little bit for him, but also for the team – for everyone.”
Aston reluctant to show ruthlessness
Perhaps for the first time, there are signs that Stroll’s efforts are being looked at critically within the team. Even during his worst weekends, Aston Martin has been resistant to attributing any blame.
Although teams should protect their drivers, it is no mystery why Lance Stroll receives a special level of protection. However, there are important questions about how sustainable this is.
After all, even with the AMR23’s fall in competitiveness, Stroll has cost Aston in the standings. Had both drivers maximised the team’s early-season pace, they could have created a big enough cushion to keep McLaren at bay.
Whilst Aston Martin’s biggest issue has become mid-season development, they can only ignore the deficit between drivers for so long. With Honda arriving as an engine supplier in 2026, perhaps pressure will increase for the team to show some ruthlessness.
The 25-year-old deserves credit for his result in COTA, but one strong result cannot be used as a shield against consistently lacklustre performances. For now, there are no signs that Lance Stroll’s future will be scrutinised before the end of 2024. Still, the driver situation at Team Silverstone is worth observing.
