Lance Stroll apparently doesn’t like talking about dad, admits Fernando Alonso was simply faster in 2023 and dreams of his first win for Aston Martin
Dan Fallows raised eyebrows with a confident statement in his online press conference for the launch of the AMR24 on Sunday evening: “We believe that Red Bull is absolutely beatable,” said Aston Martin’s Technical Director. A statement that apparently not everyone in the team would sign up to
Lance Stroll, for example, does not believe it is realistic to want to beat Red Bull as early as 2024. He jokes: “It’s quite simple! We just have to build a faster race car than them.” But: “Seriously, they have dominated the sport since the new rules were introduced. And Max drives exceptionally well. I don’t think our goal is to beat Red Bull.”
“We want to get there, but for now we want to get the best out of the team. We have a lot of ideas on how we can become an even better team. That is the focus. Last year, we often had a really great car with which we were able to compete at the front. The first goal has to be to do that even more often.”
As far as the specific season goals for 2024 are concerned, Stroll is completely in line with Team Principal Mike Krack: “I want us to be able to fight for really good results this year, to score a lot of points, to finish on the podium more often. And maybe we can get our first win in green. That would be nice. “
Stroll knows: Alonso was simply better in 2023
The 25-year-old Canadian, who will be contesting his eighth season in Formula 1 in 2024, is well aware that he has a little bit of control over that. In 2023, he lost the stable duel against veteran Fernando Alonso by 74:206 points, and while Alonso made it onto the podium eight times, Stroll’s best result was a single fourth place in Melbourne.
Stroll is self-critical and admits that he needs to work on one thing: speed. “Fernando was simply faster,” he admits. “I have a few ideas about what I can work on and how I can improve.” And: “I don’t want to use the word bad luck, but things went against us a few times last year. How many times did I retire with a defect when I was in a good position?”
Over the winter, Stroll says he has worked on himself and trained hard physically, so that he is currently in a better state of fitness than a year ago, when he was out of action for weeks after a serious cycling accident. Preparation for the 2023 season was anything but optimal, and he had to skip the winter tests in Bahrain.
Things are different this year, and yet those voices that complain that Stroll Jr. would have lost his cockpit long ago if the Aston Martin team did not belong to Stroll Sr, his father Lawrence, have not fallen silent. A topic that is talked about a lot in Formula 1 – but one that the Stroll family doesn’t like to talk about at all
Stroll: How to talk a lot without saying anything
Whether his father’s commitment to Aston Martin means that he will drive for this team until the end of his career, or whether he would be open to offers from other teams. And whether it can be considered a given that he will drive for Aston Martin as long as his father owns the team
Stroll’s wishy-washy answer to this very specific question could be straight out of a rhetoric textbook for politicians. He says: “I’m concentrating on this year. I’m driving in green and I’m very motivated and excited to be part of this incredible project, Aston Martin in Formula 1.”
As a questioner, you wait eagerly for him to get to the point and answer the question. But in vain. Stroll continues: “We have grown enormously as a team over the past five years. There were already many talented employees here before the team became Aston Martin. New, good people have joined us – and the new factory.”
In this context, Stroll also refers to the “new wind tunnel that is currently being built. I keep thinking about what exciting times it is at Aston Martin and I’m looking forward to the season ahead.” Which, presumably, is his way of committing to staying at Aston Martin for the long term
What the wishy-washy answer will probably lead to
This leaves the rumors doing the rounds in the Formula 1 community unchallenged. Stroll Jr. has lost the desire to race, as can be seen from his often bored appearances at media appointments, some claim. He only drives because his father wants him to, say others.
Is that true? Outsiders cannot judge that. The fact is: when we asked Stroll on Sunday, he had the very real opportunity to dispel all these rumors and say: “Yes, I’ll drive for my father’s team until the end of my career” or “No, I could go somewhere else or stop if I wanted to”.
But he left this option unused. Because there is a grain of truth to the talk in the paddock? In any case, the non-answer will presumably not help to steer the speculation surrounding him, his father and his position in the 2024 team in a different direction than has been the case in the past …