Lance Stroll ‘indifference’ called out ahead of potential F1 2026 breakthrough

Judged as the pay driver of all time, after all, his father part-owns the Formula 1 team for which he races, Lance Stroll could yet find himself sitting in a race-winning, potentially even championship-winning, Aston Martin next season.

But the “indifference” in his attitude could yet cost him.

‘What Lance Stroll doesn’t have at all is any spark of joy in what he does’

Although only P7 this season, Aston Martin is being widely tipped to fight for the F1 2026 title.

Not only will the cars be powered by Honda, who won four of the last five Drivers’ titles, but design legend Adrian Newey is designing the car.

The design guru, whose cars have won 26 titles – 14 World titles and 12 Constructors’ – is spearheading Aston Martin into the all-new F1 2026 era with cars that rely on active aerodynamics and are lighter than yesteryear’s cars.

It begs the question, is there a weak point, after all Honda have won four of the last five Drivers’ titles, Fernando Alonso has two World titles to his name, and Newey has 26 championships.

It is, on paper says Christian Danner, Alonso’s teammate Stroll.

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Although Stroll has 193 starts, and managed three podiums, he has yet to win a grand prix in Formula 1.

Former F1 driver Danner questions whether Stroll, who would be billed as the ultimate pay driver given his father Lawrence owns the team that he race for, actually has the “joy” for Formula 1.

“I wouldn’t pick on him so much and say he doesn’t belong in Formula 1 at all,” Danner told sport.de when speaking about the F1 s025 results.

“What Lance Stroll doesn’t have at all is any spark of joy in what he does. That’s why he always comes across as bad tempered, reluctant and musty – that’s annoying.

“This indifference is extremely misplaced.

In a “normal environment, there would have been enough reasons to send him out the door,” continued the former driver, “but Aston Martin is not a normal team environment.”

However, Newey, Aston Martin’s new design guru, insists Stroll offers more to the team than what is seen from the outside.

“Lance, I think, has an unfairly bad rap,” he said. When you compare him against team-mates he’s been up against – Checo [Sergio Perez], Nico Hulkenberg, Sebastian and now Fernando – then he’s been right there.

“Any driver who gets to Formula 1 is clearly very good, but I think Lance is much better than people give him credit for.”

Stroll finished the F1 2025 season 16th overall with 33 points while Alonso scored 56.

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