Former F1 driver Christian Danner is openly suggesting that Lance Stroll should seriously consider his future in Formula 1. Danner’s candid statement comes as Stroll, the 25-year-old Canadian, has been struggling to make an impression alongside Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin in 2023.
Stroll’s Formula 1 journey began with Williams in 2017, but his performance difficulties this year have been accompanied by signs of waning motivation and a highly publicized temper tantrum in Qatar, which led to a reprimand from the FIA.
“If someone approaches their job with such a lack of enthusiasm, then there is a lack of fundamental love for that job – for the privilege of being able to drive a Formula 1 car, Danner told sport.de.”
“I don’t see (enthusiasm) in Stroll by any stretch of the imagination”, he added
Danner emphasized that the more significant issue at hand is Lance Stroll’s underperformance on the track. Despite Lawrence Stroll, his father and team owner, attributing a substantial portion of the 130-point gap to Alonso to his son’s unfortunate luck and early wrist injuries, the core issue remains Stroll’s inability to deliver competitive results.
“It’s a fact that Stroll is underperforming, Danner insisted. (Team boss) Mike Krack can say as often as he likes that everything is great. But it’s not great. You just have to look at the results.”
Following his tantrum in Qatar, Lance Stroll provided succinct responses of “yes” when asked whether he had resolved his issues with his trainer and if he still finds enjoyment in being a Formula 1 driver.
“If I was Lance Stroll, a grown man, I’d ask myself if I want to continue being a racing driver”, said Danner.
“He has to make that decision for himself, asking ‘do I have room for improvement here? Is there progress?” If so, “what do I have to do about it”
Danner pointed out that former F1 driver Nicholas Latifi serves as a commendable illustration of another individual with significant financial backing from a wealthy father who, despite being dropped by Williams last year, made the decision to not continue his racing career.
“It’s a good comparison, he said, “because he comes from an even richer family. And while he didn’t drive badly at all, he made a good and courageous decision in the life of a young man.”
“I think this decision-making process – ‘what’s the point of it all?’, ‘do I really want it?’ – is what Stroll is now going through. It’s no good to walk around always grumpy and in a bad mood”, Danner added.
