Ex-F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes Lance Stroll remains an "underrated" talent in F1, but the Columbian thinks his Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso will make him a better driver.
Stroll is currently in his seventh season in F1. The Canadian gained access to motorsport's elite in 2017 with Williams thanks to his father's significant fortune.
But it would be unfair to dismiss his talent and achievements solely based on his family's wealth. Over the years, Stroll has shown promising skills and proven himself on the track.
However, the 24-year-old has struggled since last season to sustain his individual growth and development as a racer, and there are currently few signs that suggest that he will be able to take his performance to the next level.
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In Monaco last weekend, Stroll was once again comfortably outpaced by Alonso, while his execution on race day was disastrous and marked by several brushes with barrier after which a brake issue put the Aston charger out of his misery.
Yet Montoya defended the young Canadian whom he believes has yet to unlock his full potential.
"Lance has come a long way and I think Fernando is going to make him a much better driver,” Montoya told the Sky Sports F1 podcast.
"I’m okay with what he did. With a car as fast as he had, you can either sit in line and do nothing, or try.
"If you sit in line and do nothing, you might be lucky to get a point or two. If you go for it and it works, you look really good. And if you don’t, you missed a point or two."
Stroll's underperformance is costing Aston Martin championship points, putting in jeopardy the team's runner-up spot in the Constructors' standings behind Red Bull.
Asked if Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll should be encouraging his son to take more risks, Montoya replied: "Honestly if they are not, they need to.
"Lance has an opportunity. Lance is a lot better than people think he is and I think he’s very underrated.
"He’s a really nice guy and he’s really quiet. But I think he needs somebody on his corner to kick his ass and go ‘really buddy, you lost two-tenths here because what?’
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"He needs to come out of his comfort zone and in a way that’s going to be a couple of shunts and what he did in Monaco trying.
"I’d rather see him try than just sit there, because the next time he does it the guy knows he’s coming.
"When you are passing somebody and they know you are coming, they’ll give you the room because they know you are okay with hitting them."
Echoing Montoya's view, Sky Sports F1’s commentator David Croft also believes that Stroll's talent is worthy of a spot on the grid.
"I think Lance is more than good enough to hold his own in F1," said Crofty.
"Otherwise, he’d have never have got a pole, he’d have never got podiums, he’d have never been the youngest guy to start on the front row and he’d have never won championships coming up into F1."
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