Timo Glock has torn into a Formula 1 driver he thinks is ‘definitely’ not good enough to still have a seat on the grid and must go, despite boasting a contract for next season.
F1 is ticking down the days until the 2026 campaign commences and the series introduces a huge overhaul of the chassis and engine rules. The 2026 F1 regulations will mark the biggest change to the rulebook since the debut of the 1.6-litre V6 turbo-hybrid power units in 2014.
Only 14 drivers currently have contracts for the 2026 F1 season, with vacancies still available at Alpine, Cadillac, Mercedes, Racing Bulls and Red Bull. But Glock feels one of those drivers is lucky to be on the grid as they are currently earning cheques that their talent cannot cash.
Timo Glock thinks Aston Martin ‘definitely’ have to release Lance Stroll from his contract
Glock has now bluntly said that he would release Lance Stroll from his contract if the former Toyota driver were the Aston Martin team principal. The German does not feel it is possible for the Silverstone squad to justify keeping the Canadian and son of owner, Lawrence Stroll.
Stroll sparked Glock’s dismay during the second practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix this Friday. The Montreal native saw his FP2 end after just six minutes when Stroll broke his front-left suspension after brushing against the Turn 7 wall, having drifted wide on the kerb.
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He told Sky Germany about whether Aston Martin should keep Stroll in 2026: “No. Sporting-wise, he’s definitely not where he needs to be after his long time in Formula 1. He has had relatively clear defeats and hasn’t been able to convince with consistency this year, either.
“There’s always a weekend where he seems to be catching up with Fernando Alonso. But over the course of a whole year, he’s simply too far behind [and] too inconsistent. He then makes the mistakes accordingly…
“In the current situation, you would have to reposition yourself to be successful.”
Stroll is in his ninth season on the grid and seventh in Silverstone, including two years under the team’s prior name Racing Point before his dad Lawrence Stroll rebranded them as Aston Martin before the 2021 campaign. The Canadian GP is Stroll’s 179th career Grand Prix entry.
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Stroll underwent surgery before the Canadian GP after withdrawing from the Spanish Grand Prix two weeks ago. Aston Martin confirmed the 26-year-old had been suffering from pain in his hand and wrist due to an ongoing consequence of his pre-season cycling crash in 2023.
His injury and his subsequent surgery raised questions about whether the home hero would contest the meet in Montreal. But Stroll is due to be racing this weekend in the Canadian GP, as long as he does not damage his Aston Martin beyond repair or now suffer another injury.
But his crash in FP2 for the Canadian GP this Friday gifted Aston Martin’s mechanics work to do, instead of a form of an apology after Stroll lost his temper in the garage after qualifying in Spain. The crash also gave Glock yet another reason why Aston Martin should sack Stroll.
Stroll’s £2.5m a year Aston Martin contract is set to run through at least the 2026 F1 season. But Glock feels the £1.6bn Aston Martin F1 team will never meet their goals with Stroll, who was P6 in Australia and P9 in China to start this term but has no points in a Grand Prix since.
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