Lance Stroll is out of form heading into this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. After a positive start to the season, the Aston Martin driver is struggling.
Stroll opened the season with a fine P6 finish at the Australian GP, holding his own in treacherous conditions. Those eight points are keeping Aston Martin seventh in the constructors’ championship when they really ought to be lower.
The Canadian would inherit ninth in China a week later after three cars were disqualified ahead. Stroll remains in the world championship top 10 as a result.
| SESSION | Q | R |
| Australia | 13 | 6 |
| China Sprint | 10 | 9 |
| China | 14 | 9 |
| Japan | 20 | 20 |
| Bahrain | 19 | 17 |
| Saudi Arabia | 16 | 16 |
Jacques Villeneuve noted that Stroll looked happier than ever after that back-to-back score. But he suffered a nightmare weekend in Japan as he started and finished last.
Stroll now holds the record for the most Q1 exits ever, with his streak now up to three. He didn’t manage to get anywhere near the points in the recent triple-header.
Lance Stroll wasn’t aware of Monaco GP’s two-stop requirement
During media day at the Miami Grand Prix, Stroll was asked about the headline rule change for Monaco later this month. The prestigious race sits in the middle of another triple-header (starting at Imola and ending in Barcelona).
For this year, every driver will have to make at least two pit stops during the race. This is an attempt to make the historically processional event more exciting.
Last year, an early red flag allowed every driver to change tyres, and there was next-to-no action. But Stroll wasn’t aware of the new requirement for 2025.
Motorsport Netherlands journalist Ronald Vording says the Canadian was caught completely off-guard by the question. He thinks it’s ‘remarkable’ that a current F1 driver ‘doesn’t know the rules’.
“Finally, one small thing,” he said. “I don’t want to make fun of Lance Stroll, but he had his media session too. For Monaco this year, there are two mandatory pit stops. Someone asked Lance about that, but he was totally unprepared.
“He said, ‘Oh, I don’t know about that, is this new? Will it be decided this week?’ We said, ‘No that won’t be decided this week, it’s been like that for a month or so or even longer’.
“He said, ‘Oh I had no idea we would have to make two pit stops in Monaco’. That is quite amazing. You have a Formula 1 driver, a business involving millions, and that Formula 1 driver doesn’t know the rules.
“I don’t want to make too much of a fuss about Lance Stroll, but it was a remarkable moment.”
Lance Stroll was the subject of a sarcastic radio message from Oscar Piastri last time out
Stroll has appeared disinterested at times, so it may be that he doesn’t engage with the sport’s news cycle when he’s not racing. He can trust his Aston Martin team to keep him abreast of what he needs to know.
Right now, the Silverstone outfit may require a chaotic race – the kind that Monaco can throw up – to facilitate a big result and lift the mood. Even two-time world champion Fernando Alonso can’t haul the AMR25 into the points.
There have been calls for legendary designer Adrian Newey to switch focus from the 2026 car and try to lift the team from the mire. But Andy Cowell’s team continue to prioritise next year.
That could make for plenty more painful races for their two drivers in the short term. Stroll was sarcastically mocked by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at the end of the Saudi Arabian GP as he reacted slowly to blue flags – his only perceptible impact on an anonymous night.
