Lance Stroll is ‘not someone you’d expect in F1’, says his former karting rival
Lance Stroll blamed his brakes for his off on the formation lap in Brazil, but it was his trip into the gravel that had Jarno Opmeer saying he’s “not someone you’d expect” in F1.
Although Stroll has spent eight years racing in Formula 1, the Canadian has not been able to shrug off his pay driver tag especially as he races for a team owned by his father.
Lance Stroll is ‘not a bad driver, but not a superstar’
But while it hasn’t always been a fair assessment of his ability given he has three podiums and a pole position, the 26-year-old’s antics in Brazil raised eyebrows when he went off on the formation lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
He blamed his newly-repaired AMR24’s brakes, Stroll having been one of five drivers to crash in Sunday morning’s qualifying with his team-mate Fernando Alonso also on the list.
“As soon as I touched the brake I just had a huge rear lock and then I was a passenger from there,” the Canadian explained.
“I’ve never felt that in the car, so maybe there was a brake failure problem and we have to look into it.”
He added: “For sure in a race like this anything’s possible, so to be out on Lap 1 really sucks – but we have to look into what happened.”
That though wasn’t the biggest issue, it was what happened next.
Although Stroll’s Aston Martin came to a halt on asphalt run-off, a strip located between two gravel traps, the Canadian promptly threw a U-turn and tried to make his way back onto the track through one of the sodden gravel traps. He did that instead of using the asphalt access road surrounding the gravel.
His car became beached and his race was over.
Opmeer, who raced against Stroll in the CIK-FIA European Championship back in 2013, says the 26-year-old can be a “pancake” at times.
“I’ve karted against him,” Opmeer, who is now a Red Bull sim diver told Ziggo Sport. “He wasn’t a bad driver, but not a superstar. Not someone you’d expect in Formula 1.
“He’s always had those moments where he’s incredibly good for two or three races a year. The rest of the time he’s just a pancake really.”
More on the F1 2024 championship
👉F1 schedule: When is the next F1 race and where is it being held?
👉The updated Drivers’ and Constructors’ standings after the Brazilian GP
Many drivers ‘deserve’ the Aston Martin seat more than Lance Stroll
But Opmeer wasn’t the only one battled by Stroll’s antics on Sunday afternoon, and not just his driving
Former F1 driver turned Sky Deutschland pundit Timo Glock called out what he perceived as Stroll’s “apathy” when dealing with the media and feels there are other more deserving drivers out there.
“There were a few things today…” he started by saying. “Lost the car on the way [to the grid], then parked there, and broke the car in qualifying this morning.
“The apathy [in the interviews], there are also one or two videos from the press conference, you can only shake your head.
“I have to say, it really leaves you speechless. There are many, many talented people out there who would have deserved that place more.”
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