Walking creativity jeopardizes the team’s success

Since last year, Aston Martin has clearly shown its ambitions not only in terms of building a brand new F1 factory or hiring aggressive workers, but also on the racetrack – at least with one car: number 14. Fernando Alonso was able to reach the podium. eight times in the 2023 season. However, not once Lance Stroll, the son of the team owner, who expects high standards and claims ‘six-star seasons’. After a poor qualifying result from Stroll, who was already retired after Q1 last race weekend in Japan because he could only qualify in P16, eight tenths behind his teammate, the question arises once again: Will Lance Stroll for this team? are you really still wearing it?

Danner: Stroll’s development curve is inadequate

Me AvD Motorsport magazine Christian Danner makes it clear: “Lance Stroll is not very fast, although he is always very quick. Aston Martin has worked to move from the midfield to near the front. If you have a McLaren and a If you want to attack Norris and Piastri, then you don’t need just one great pilot, but two.”

“The question is fair: Can Lance Stroll do it? Because he has been driving long enough and now he knows the car inside and out. There is a little bit of advanced development missing somewhere,” says the former racing driver, evaluating a Canadian car. performance.

Does the troubled father-son model have a future?

His place in the team is still available for 2025 and beyond. Since Stroll’s father is known to own a racing team and manages Aston Martin, Danner thinks that nothing will happen this season regarding his Formula 1 seat.

Our expert sees one side leading to the dual role of Lawrence Stroll as a father and a businessman, who should know about the financial value of the World Cup points and rankings: “I clearly believe that the father will rule and nothing else. He can do the side “If the kid doesn’t drive anymore, we can still close or sell the team again. I believe that the combination of father and son is important there.”

The expert adds: “The only thing that can happen is that Lance, who has never given the impression that he really enjoys being a racing driver, at some point comes up with the idea of saying, let’s give it up.” If this happens, Danner fears serious consequences and, above all, unexpected consequences for the team due to the family structure: “Because then it could also be the case that the father loses interest.”

The future of the racing team remains open. Meanwhile, F1 expert Danner says of Stroll’s performance: “He has to add a few brackets to be able to put this place in the right way.”

Is Lance Stroll also good for the Honda factory team in 2026?

Now the numbers speak for themselves when comparing Alonso and Stroll: the average qualifying position in the first four races of the season was 6.25 for Alonso and 11.75 for Stroll. Last year, Alonso clearly won the qualifying battle against Stroll, who was half a second off the average. In the drivers’ standings, the difference in performance was seen in 4th place in the World Championship for Alonso and 10th place in the World Championship for Stroll.

Looking ahead to 2026, when Aston Martin will become Honda’s factory team, Danner still doesn’t see the Canadian’s seat in jeopardy. Honda is currently building its own man with Yuki Tsunoda in the Racing Bulls team. According to Danner, Honda must accept Stroll, at least for the time being: “I think they have no other choice here and now. Because you cannot start a partnership with a partner like Aston Martin and immediately claim the right of partnership. -decision in the selection of the driver I think “First absolutely, they have to focus on technique and see that they can do it.”

You can read all about Honda’s return to Formula 1 and whether the British racing team could become Formula 1’s new giant in partnership with the Japanese engine manufacturer here:

Danner: Excellent points with a different driver

Because of In the current situation in the driver’s market, which is not only very dynamic, but also has high-quality drivers like Carlos Sainz to offer, Aston Martin’s decision to stay in the cockpit completely with Lance Stroll is, in the expert’s opinion, “not. smart if it depends only on success it goes.”

For a driver like Carlos Sainz, the result in the constructors’ championship would definitely be better, says Danner. However, Lawrence Stroll defines his moral standard for his team, where World Cup scores are set aside by the child to create a potential building block. “What you can do is make life easier for Lance and make the car easier to drive. He’s had his highlights at every turn. But he’s not amazingly consistent and he was nowhere in Suzuka. But that can be done in China differently. again,” concludes the former driver of race.

You can also find out how Christian Danner assesses the state of world champion Lewis Hamilton before his move to Ferrari and what he thinks about the modern punishing culture of Formula 1 in the new AvD Motorsport magazine. You can watch the entire episode here:

Slow and listless! Is Hamilton’s F1 time over?: (min 27:29)