Gian Carlo Minardi tells Aston Martin why it’s ‘absurd’ to keep Lance Stroll in the team

Aston Martin have been floundering this season and sit a distant fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship behind the top four teams.

The British team started the season well, with double world champion Fernando Alonso taking fifth place in the second round of the year in Saudi Arabia.

This was an impressive result, and the good form continued at Suzuka in the Japanese Grand Prix, where the Spaniard finished in sixth place ahead of both Mercedes cars.

Aston Martin have since struggled, particularly with Lance Stroll, who made an amateurish error before the start in Brazil after his mechanics spent hours repairing the car.

The team have made some significant signings in recent years such as Alonso and designer Adrian Newey who joins in 2025 but continue to sit in the midfield.

Gian Carlo Minardi explained why Aston Martin can’t keep Stroll in the future if they want to make progress and challenge for world championships.

Aston Martin need to move on from Lance Stroll as they ‘need something he cannot give’

Stroll has struggled this season and hasn’t scored a point since the Hungarian Grand Prix before the summer break as he finished in 10th place.

The Canadian had two very difficult consecutive weekends at the Italian Grand Prix and in Azerbaijan which halted his season. He’s continued to lag behind Alonso with a 44-point deficit in the standings.

Stroll was branded a disgrace after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix as he made a mistake before the start of the race and was unable to continue after getting stuck in the gravel.

He has also lacked pace in qualifying and has reached the final part of qualifying just twice since the summer break. This has made life difficult as Stroll has had to pass cars and recover from tricky qualifying sessions.

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The Aston Martin isn’t very competitive in a straight line which can make overtaking difficult even with the DRS system being used to aid passing.

Minardi explained Aston Martin need two drivers who are equally competitive to help develop the car rather than one driver who is lagging behind.

He said: “In my opinion, this is part of a reflection and corporate reorganisation. It is absurd to continue to support him in a team that has ambitions to climb the world rankings and has made important investments. I hope for them to be profitable in the future, they must have two drivers pulling the cart in the same way because this is also part of a team’s growth.

“We have arrived in the top five of the Constructors’ Championship, but to make a leap, we need something else. We need something Stroll cannot give.”

Aston Martin may take a step forward with Adrian Newey

Aston Martin were regular contenders for podium positions particularly with Alonso at the start of last season but they struggled to keep up the momentum later in the year.

Newey will be joining the team after almost 20 years at Red Bull where he designed multiple cars capable of winning races and championships.

This experience and expertise should help Aston Martin when the new rules are introduced in 2026, and they have a works Honda engine lined up.

Newey has worked at multiple top teams over his career and been successful but it may be slightly more difficult if Stroll is failing to maximise the potential of the car and making a series of errors.