Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner believes that Lance Stroll has no real interest in being a Formula 1 driver.
Despite his occasional flashes of brilliance, the Canadian’s continued presence in F1 has often been a subject of debate, with many questioning his true passion for the sport.
Steiner believes Stroll’s interest in F1 has more to do with his father’s involvement than his own drive, painting a paradoxical picture: in a sport where young drivers fight fiercely for a coveted spot on the grid, Stroll seems ambivalent, even disinterested, about this privilege.
The 26-year-old’s lackluster season took another nosedive in Brazil last time out, when he didn’t even make it to the starting line for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
After crashing in qualifying, Stroll spun on the formation lap. But while he could have rejoined proceedings in an orderly fashion, he chose to venture across a wet gravel trap from which he never emerged.
To Steiner, the incident was a sign that Stroll was perhaps feeling the weight of criticism that’s been mounting on the Canadian this year.
“The pressure got to him. He knew he did something stupid on the formation lap and then just didn’t take control anymore of what he was doing,” Steiner told the Red Flag Podcast.
“I think he panicked. In situations when the world is looking at you, you’re always critiqued, you do something stupid on the formation lap.
“What to do next? Something more stupid. It’s just like a brain fart.”
©AstonMartin
According to the Italian, Stroll’s mistakes are symptomatic of a larger issue: his continued presence in F1 may have little to do with any real passion for the sport.
Despite having made 163 starts, Stroll remains a puzzling figure in the F1 paddock, seeming out of place among the driven young talents who have fought their way up through the junior ranks.
And his demeanor rarely shows genuine enthusiasm for racing
“He never seems to be happy, whatever happens,” Steiner noted “So would he be a World Champion if he would be happy? I don’t know about that one because some people can be good when even they’re unhappy.”
Steiner questioned whether Stroll would even be in F1 if not for his father’s ownership of the Aston Martin team.
“We think he’s unhappy and maybe it’s just his expression,” he continued. “I think a lot of people critique him: ‘He’s such a bad driver. He’s just there because daddy has the team.’
“But put it this way: if daddy wouldn’t have a team, I don’t think Lance would be a Formula 1 driver, because he doesn’t want to be one.”
As the season winds down, the question looms: how much longer will the F1 world, or the Aston martin team, tolerate a driver who doesn’t appear to truly want to be there?
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