Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll believes his son Lance is "immensely talented" and has demonstrated that he is world championship material.
The Canadian billionaire bankrolled his son's motorsport career from the junior ranks to his promotion to Formula 1 in 2017 with Williams, an arrival criticized by many who questioned the teenager's credentials and merit.
Four seasons on, Lance Stroll has undeniably quieted his detractors, improving himself and his performances with each passing year.
Last year's campaign saw the 22-year-old secure his first pole, a remarkable feat achieved in treacherous conditions in qualifying for the Turkish GP at Istanbul and followed by an impeccable drive at the head of the field for 35 laps until a damaged wing squandered his chances of success.
That performance and Stroll's natural raw speed suggest to many that he is a star in the making, and his father obviously agrees.
©RacingPoint
"There are a lot of jealous people in the world and jealous people who wish they were there in Lance’s position, who do and say silly things," Stroll Sr. told the PA agency.
"I don’t pay much attention to it and neither does Lance.
"Do I think Lance is talented? I think he is immensely talented. I have no doubt he has demonstrated he has World Championship blood in him.
"Everything is equal when you get to the ring and he showed that by putting it on pole in the rain in Turkey last year when the playing field was level. There are not many people who can do that."
Lance Stroll labeled his 2020 campaign with Racing Point a season of "missed opportunities". But the young man who is set to defy his new Aston Martin teammate Sebastian Vettel, believes his results still "answered a lot of questions".
"I think last year I proved a lot to myself mainly," he told Motorsport.com last month.
"I just answered a lot of questions to myself that I’ve been asking myself in the last few seasons up until I had the opportunity to sit in a car that really performs.
"Am I capable of delivering results? To finish up at the front? Am I capable of qualifying up at the front? You just don’t get those results.
"A lot of it also wasn’t all down to results, it was just like ‘what does a competitive car feel like?’ How much better is it?
"[I didn’t know] until I sat in last year’s car and I realised how much of a difference there was, and how much I could also build on my driving by being in a good car.
"It gives you so much more confidence when driving the car. It allows you to attack the corners much harder and just push the car much harder.
"As drivers, that’s what we want to be able to do, and sometimes when you’re in a bad car, it takes away that confidence and that ability to push the car. That has a big impact on a driver."
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