Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll has looked for the most part like the unhappiest driver on the F1 grid. Many inside and outside the sport have questioned his desire.
For instance, Guenther Steiner found it ‘sad’ that Stroll ‘never’ laughed. He saw the Canadian up close in his role as Haas team principal.
Worse still, Steiner suggested that Stroll didn’t want to be in F1 at all and was instead living out his father’s dream. His place at Aston Martin is protected by the billionaire owner.
At the F1 75 launch event in February, Stroll looked like he’d rather be ‘anywhere else’, according to observers. That only added fuel to the theories.
New managing technical partner Adrian Newey didn’t think Stroll was ‘good enough’ when he arrived. But all of a sudden, he’s inspiring some optimism.
Jacques Villeneuve says Lance Stroll is ‘smiling all the time’ in 2025
Jacques Villeneuve has been fiercely critical of Stroll in the past, so much so that he was once banned from Williams facilities. But he praised his fellow countryman live on Sky Sports during FP1 at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Villeneuve says Stroll has been ‘very strong’ so far and also looks far happier. Team principal Andy Cowell pointed out that, even at 26, his driver is able to tap into vast experience, with 169 race starts to his name.
Stroll noticed an issue that escaped Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion who’s broken F1 appearance records. He’s growing in stature on and off the track.
He arrived in Suzuka sitting P8 in the championship with 10 points to his name. Alonso has yet to score, having crashed out in Australia then retired with a brake problem in China.
| SESSION | STR | ALO |
| Australian GP Qualifying | ||
| Australian GP | ||
| Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying | ||
| Chinese GP Sprint | ||
| Chinese GP Qualifying | ||
| Chinese GP |
“The car doesn’t look that bad early season, although you didn’t get all the points you wanted with Fernando losing some,” Villeneuve told Cowell. “You’ve had a very strong Lance.
“He’s smiling all the time. We seem to see a very different driver.”
Cowell replied: “Lance has had a great start to the season. He’s got a huge amount of experience, and he’s feeding that into the team nicely and helping us learn this year and for next year.”
Ralf Schumacher is worried about Fernando Alonso after what he’s seen at Aston Martin
The key for Stroll is now sustaining his form. He’s had moments of glory in his career – three podium finishes and a pole position – but majorly struggled for consistency.
Indeed, figures close to the 2017 debutant say Stroll simply ‘disappears’ too often. He’ll be expected to close the gap on an ageing Alonso this year, with the Spaniard turning 44 in July.
Ralf Schumacher fears Alonso has lost motivation given Aston Martin’s low ceiling. He’s banking on them being a front-runner in 2026, which is why he signed a new contract last year.
Former Ferrari driver Rene Arnoux thinks ‘the end’ is nigh for Alonso after his slow start. It’s still early to be drawing those conclusions, of course, with just a twelfth of the season gone.
Leave feedback about this