A BBC commentator is calling on Aston Martin to sack Stroll and appoint a replacement

Lance Stroll produced a poor result last weekend in Japan, not for the first time in his F1 career, and if Aston Martin wants to be a serious contender in F1, the British team will have to replace the underperformer, according to BBC pundit Harry . Benjamin. The Englishman has an idea who should be Fernando Alonso’s best teammate.

In Bahrain, Stroll started well, about a year ago. Despite spinning in the first corner, after hitting the rock from Nico Hülkenberg, the Canadian managed to move up to P10, directly behind his team-mate Alonso. However, things quickly went downhill for Stroll after that. In Australia, the 25-year-old driver finished sixth, but needed the help of Max Verstappen and team-mate Alonso, who dropped from P6 to P8 due to a time penalty. In Japan, the Canadian didn’t even get Q1 on Saturday and a day later he couldn’t get more than P12. And that in a car that should be able to finish among the top ten easily.

The difference with Alonso was great and at Suzuka it became clear again, according to Benjamin, that with Stroll behind the wheel, a shot in the top classification could never be made. “Alonso is of course Alonso, let’s not underestimate him, but he wipes the floor with Stroll,” says Benjamin in Check out the Flag podcast from the BBC. “Of course you don’t get pole positions and podiums if you’re a bad driver, but if he was someone else, he wouldn’t be in Formula 1 anymore. He’s only in that team because his father is the owner,” Benjamin said.

‘For Stroll, Aston Martin is not a big threat’

Father Stroll has never hidden his ambitions in F1. The Canadian billionaire wants to win and win the championship, but according to Benjamin it must be clear to everyone inside Aston Martin that this will not work with the owner’s son. “There has to be a conversation at some point, unless he improves his performance dramatically. Aston Martin lost their place in the top three teams in the Constructors’ Championship last year because they only had one point scorer.’

‘If Aston Martin wants to be a serious contender in Formula 1, they need a second driver. They have the equipment and money to do so. They need a second driver who can score points,” says the BBC commentator, who is also likely to replace Stroll. “They will get a Honda power unit in 2026 and I would like to defend Yuki Tsunoda if he is not appreciated from Red Bull Racing or RB, because he is currently beating Daniel Ricciardo. Well, I don’t think he will be a future world champion, but if he was in that second Aston Martin car, he would have collected more points than Stroll so far,” said Benjamin.