Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Pay drivers have been a part of Formula 1 throughout the racing category’s history, and Juan Pablo Montoya has highlighted how Lance Stroll gets some unfair criticism because of his status as one.
Lance Stroll’s form in recent years has opened him up to calls for Aston Martin to replace him as soon as possible, but given his standing as the son of the Silverstone-based team’s owner, it doesn’t look like a move will happen anytime soon.
It is understood that the only way he would leave would be on his own accord, which nearly happened in 2023 when Stroll was considering retirement from the sport.
He backed down for reasons unknown and has continued to be an unpopular driver on the grid amongst fans, but according to one former Formula 1 driver, the calls for him to step aside are unwarranted.
Is Lance Stroll the most underrated driver on the F1 grid?
Comment below!
Juan Pablo Montoya thinks that Lance Stroll isn’t given the ‘credit he deserves’ in Formula 1
During a recent episode of the MontoyAS podcast, Juan Pablo Montoya gave a surprising verdict on the current sentiment surrounding the Canadian’s career in the single-seater category.
The Colombian believes that his status as a pay driver has led to unfair assessments of his talents, highlighting the fact that he is one of many drivers whose seat on the grid is merely transactional.
Montoya said, “With Stroll, no, people don’t give him the credit he deserves, really, and they don’t give him credit because he got into Formula 1 with his dad’s help, but many drivers have done that.
“I think people don’t see that, people don’t know how many people pay to get into Formula 1, and the money their parents put in, maybe not even to buy the team.”
The verdict is one that is shared by Aston Martin F1 ambassador Pedro de la Rosa. In a recent interview with AutoMoto, the Spaniard shared how Stroll is ‘incredibly underrated’ whilst noting how he is ‘much closer to Fernando [Alonso] than people think’.
What rating out of 10 would you give Lance Stroll’s 2025 season at Aston Martin?
Let us know in the comments!
One of the best Formula 1 drivers in history began his career as a pay driver
Despite Stroll not quite reaching anywhere near the same heights as Michael Schumacher in F1, they both have something in common: their careers were built on being a pay driver.
Schumacher was given his first taste of a Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1991 after Mercedes paid Eddie Jordan somewhere in the region of $150,000 for him to take a vacant seat within Jordan’s F1 team at the Belgian Grand Prix.
However, it wasn’t quite in the same capacity as Stroll, whose father, Lawrence Stroll, took it one step further by buying a whole F1 team in order to keep him on the grid.
This is more of a hindrance than an advantage for Stroll, according to another former driver, Nelson Piquet Jr.
The son of the three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet Sr believes that the lack of pressure that Stroll finds himself under within the ranks of Aston Martin leads to his sub-optimal performances.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
