Lance Stroll’s fellow F1 drivers privately think he lacks ‘passion’ for the sport

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Lance Stroll’s ‘passion’ has apparently been called into question by his fellow Formula 1 drivers even as he approaches 200 races in the sport.

Stroll is in a unique position because his father Lawrence owns the Aston Martin F1 team, protecting his seat. He has scored 325 points, a pole position and a podium in his career, making it unfair to rank him alongside the ‘pay drivers’ of the past.

The Canadian started his F1 career with Williams in 2017 and moved to Aston Martin forerunners Racing Point in 2019 when his father invested.

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Stroll has been comprehensively beaten by Fernando Alonso in the last three seasons – he’s currently on a 39-race ‘losing’ streak in qualifying – but the two-time world champion presents a formidable benchmark.

Lance Stroll is the ‘most unpopular’ driver among the rest of the grid

According to Sport Bild, Stroll has been the ‘least popular’ driver on the grid ‘for years’ now. The ‘general consensus’ among his rivals is that he lacks both the ‘passion’ and the ‘talent’ to merit a place on the grid.

Some have privately argued that he’s only in F1 because of his father’s ‘billions’. While he won three single-seater titles before reaching the top level, George Russell said Stroll was protected by team orders.

• READ MORE: Lance Stroll didn’t say a single word on Aston Martin team radio during the Chinese Grand Prix

Stroll’s motivation will certainly be put to the test this year, with Aston Martin currently the slowest team in F1. The only driver yet to finish a race, he is bottom of the standings.

The Canadian’s contract is up at the end of the year, but it will likely be up to him whether he wants to continue. Stroll competed in a GT3 race during the F1 season break, but there’s no indication that he’s seriously weighing up a move to another series.

The proof that Lance Stroll is passionate, even if he doesn’t show it

Of all the drivers, it would be fair to say Stroll has the least enthusiasm for his media duties. But that shouldn’t be taken as a lack of passion for the sport as a whole.

In 2023, Stroll had to undergo surgery on his right wrist after a cycling accident less than a fortnight before the season started. Remarkably, he returned for round one in Bahrain and finished in the top six.

That, more than anything, proves that he cares deeply about F1. He could easily have taken an extended break but was clearly desperate to race.

Aston Martin’s Mike Krack says the criticism of Stroll is ‘very unfair’ and believes he has been cast, without justification, as one of the ‘bad guys’ in F1.