Ralf Schumacher says one driver deserves an Aston Martin seat ‘1000 times more’ than Lance Stroll

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It’s not news to anyone that Ralf Schumacher and Aston Martin haven’t enjoyed the best relationship this season.

Aston Martin boycotted Ralf Schumacher’s coverage at the Hungarian Grand Prix over comments they believed were overly harsh.

It’s been a poor campaign for Aston Martin, who had to settle for seventh in the constructors’ championship, finishing below Racing Bulls and narrowly beating Haas despite their vastly inferior budget.

Fernando Alonso’s sixth-place finish in Abu Dhabi was once again the standout performance among the midfield drivers.

What rating out of 10 would you give Lance Stroll’s 2025 season at Aston Martin?

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It meant that the Spaniard snuck into the top 10 of the drivers’ championship for the 18th time in his career.

On the other side of the garage, Lance Stroll ended his eight-race pointless streak by finishing P10 at the Yas Marina circuit.

Ralf Schumacher and Peter Hardenacke have been speaking about the Canadian driver, and the former F1 star believes that F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli is ‘1000 times’ more deserving of his place on the grid.

READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Ralf Schumacher would place Leonardo Fornaroli in Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin seat

Speaking on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast, Hardenacke said: “[He’s a] flop, right? Well, you’ve often said that about his behaviour. We’ve been able to observe him a lot, including at press conferences and press rounds.

“I know that people at Aston Martin don’t like to hear that.

“There’s always a lot of feedback, but we’re not alone in our opinion.

“He’s very open, but in his own way, I think. We’ve already discussed everything: bored at press conferences, chewing gum, and so on.

“He lost 24-0 in qualifying overall across the season to Fernando Alonso, who is no longer in his prime, even though he’s still doing a great job at 44 years old.

“So I’d say I’m curious to see how long that is sustainable, right?”

Who is the best active driver NOT on the 2026 grid? 🤔

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Schumacher added: “You could question that. Strictly speaking, it’s no longer acceptable.

“Honestly, when I see that the Formula 2 winner has done such a great job, he’s the one who really belongs there.

“He belongs in a car like that a thousand times more, but I’m also curious to see what happens there, because honestly, even Lawrence Stroll, even though he doesn’t like me and always looks at me as if he could kill me with his eyes, I’d be dead already.

“But he can’t close his eyes to the issue, and I think maybe we’re doing him an injustice when it comes to his personal life; the boredom is his problem.

“In my opinion, he’s also a candidate who shouldn’t really be in Formula 1 anymore.”

READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Lance Stroll’s dire 2025 qualifying record piles pressure on next season’s performance

Fornaroli has won back-to-back Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles, but is the latest champion at that level who will have to be patient for his chance to race in F1.

McLaren have signed Fornaroli, but he now needs to avoid suffering the same fate as Felipe Drugovich and Theo Pourchaire, who were never promoted beyond their test driver roles.

Speaking exclusively to F1 Oversteer, Alex Jacques correctly predicted F1 teams would be flocking to sign Fornaroli, and with Oscar Piastri’s future being questioned, that could be the Italian’s route into the sport.

For Stroll, the fact that Alonso outqualified him at every Grand Prix this season suggests that a clear number one-number two driver dynamic is now in place at Aston Martin.

However, if the team are going to be as competitive as new team principal Adrian Newey would like, then the last thing he will want is a repeat of what happened at his previous team, Red Bull, with Max Verstappen.

The Canadian driver has produced moments of brilliance during his 189 Grand Prix starts. They need to start becoming far more frequent if he’s going to dismiss suggestions that another driver deserves his seat on the grid.