£2.5m-a-year F1 driver told he’s becoming the next Sergio Perez after being beaten ‘every time’ by his teammate

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There are currently only 20 spots on the Formula 1 grid, and while that is set to expand to 22 from next season with the addition of Cadillac, drivers still need to perform to keep their seat.

The 2026 season is set to bring a major shakeup to the regulations, and a lot of teams are looking to ensure they have the best driver lineup to capitalise on that opportunity.

Sauber has changed their lineup this year and brought in a mix of experience and youth in Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, while Ferrari also banked on Lewis Hamilton bringing them title success, having last won the Constructors’ in 2008.

Aston Martin has also secured the services of Adrian Newey, who is known for being an F1 design guru capable of capitalising on a new set of regulations.

But questions are being asked of their driver lineup, with Aston Martin simulator driver Dani Juncadella now warning the £2.5m-a-year Lance Stroll of his current position when speaking on the Nachez YouTube channel.

Dani Juncadella thinks Lance Stroll risks being next Sergio Perez

Stroll has failed to outqualify Fernando Alonso at all 10 rounds so far this and while he has scored more points, the Spaniard has suffered some misfortune along the way.

Things went bad for the Canadian at the Spanish GP when he was forced to withdraw due to a pre-existing problem with his hand.

This led to Stroll reportedly throwing a tantrum in Aston Martin’s garage and fuelling speculation over his position within the team.

Juncadella believes Alonso regularly beating him in qualifying could see Stroll become the next Sergio Perez, after he was thrashed by Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

“When you look at it, I think it’s a similar situation to Perez with Verstappen. Perez the first few years with Verstappen, has done very few where he’s been able to be close to Verstappen,” said Juncadella.

“But there comes a time when you see that the kid is so good and you can’t beat him. Maybe it’s frustration when you try to go in the same setup direction and it doesn’t work, or you end up changing so much to try and beat him and it works against you.

“I think the same thing happens with Stroll and Alonso. Now we’re in a trend where Fernando beats him every time.”

Dani Juncadella highlights one thing people don’t ‘value’ in Lance Stroll

Stroll’s brilliance in wet conditions has been the highlight of his F1 career thus far, notably his impressive pole at the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix. Juncadella thinks this is often overlooked in conversations about the Canadian.

“He’s a guy that at a lot of races, he’s shown a lot of qualities in any conditions, even this year in Australia, he had a great race in difficult conditions,” said Juncadella.

“We don’t value this in Stroll, and I remember asking him at the test we did in Barcelona, he was driving and it was raining and I said ‘You don’t have to train much in the rain because you’re good’ but he said ‘I thought I was good until I saw Fernando in the rain!'”

Guenther Steiner has admitted that he has an ‘issue’ with Stroll’s attitude, and does not see him lasting any longer in F1. Given that he is the son of billionaire Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll, the dynamics regarding his exit are slightly more tricky compared to what it would be for other drivers.