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Lance Stroll had another lacklustre season as an F1 driver for Aston Martin in 2025, and Nelson Piquet Jr’s latest verdict on the issue that the Silverstone-based outfit has with him has hit the nail on the head.
To be fair to Lance Stroll, he started the season off by drawing first blood in the Aston Martin teammate battle with Fernando Alonso.
He secured points at the season-opener in Australia with a strong P6 finish, and backed it up with more points with a P9 at the following round.
However, what ensued was pretty typical of the Canadian’s usual form.
He went on to secure just four more points finishes in the remaining 22 race weekends, ending the season down in 16th place in the drivers’ championship, with five drivers in between him and Alonso.
Stroll’s F1 seat has been called into question on multiple occasions over the years, with it being widely known that Aston Martin have been forced to be patient with him due to the fact that he is the owner’s son.
However, if they truly do want to fight their way to the top, things must change.
What rating out of 10 would you give Lance Stroll’s 2025 season at Aston Martin?
Let us know in the comments!
Nelson Piquet Jr’s verdict of the problem that Aston Martin have with Lance Stroll
In a recent episode of the Pelas Pistas podcast, Nelson Piquet Jr gave his verdict on the problem with Stroll occupying a seat at the same F1 team that is owned by his billionaire father, Lawrence Stroll.
Formula E stars Mitch Evans and Antonio Felix da Costa were making an appearance on the podcast, and they both seemed to agree with the sentiments of Piquet Jr, who said, “I believe Lance is better than people think.
“Among these high-level drivers, talent can differentiate them by two or three tenths of a second. But the substantial difference is how you perform when you are under pressure.
What you do on race day, how you drive. And Lance’s problem is that he is not under pressure. He’s going to drive, and if he goes through the corner and damages the floor of the car, or whatever happens, he’s not going to remember it.
“If you’re thinking about keeping your job, about the bills you have to pay, that makes a big difference when you’re in the car. I don’t feel like he wants this that much.
“I’ve never worked with him, nor do I know if he’s looking at Fernando’s data every day. If he does, fine, I would regret what I’m saying, but he doesn’t seem to have the necessary passion.
“He’s under his father’s wing, and from that perspective, it’s not the best thing for him. And the worst thing for Lance is that he gets criticised more than the others. That’s the price he has to pay.”
- READ MORE: Adrian Newey ‘desperately’ needs one thing to stop Aston Martin becoming ‘even more chaotic’ in 2026
Why Nelson Piquet Jr’s verdict is spot-on
The pressure that Piquet Jr alluded to in his comments isn’t a myth at all. When someone’s career is under pressure, you either see the very best of them or the very worst.
In Stroll’s case, you get neither. The 27-year-old carries himself in a way that makes it seem like he doesn’t care whether he is at the back of the grid, or, in the very rare case of the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, at the very front of it.
His rookie season in F1 is a perfect example of the difference.
Entering the sport as a wide-eyed 18-year-old who wanted to prove that he deserved a spot after jumping straight up to Formula 1 after a season in Formula 3, he was mightily impressive.
However, as the seasons have passed, the excitement has dwindled, and the motivation just doesn’t seem to be there anymore.
So much so that Stroll considered quitting F1 altogether at the end of 2023, eventually backing down from an exit for unknown reasons.
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