Lance Stroll was described as “non-existent” and “invisible” by Gunther Steiner, former Haas F1 team principal. The Italian doesn’t hold back in offering a rather bizarre description of the Aston Martin driver. A talent that has never truly blossomed, sometimes completely apathetic to the environment around him, leaving many in the sport doubtful about his real desire to get into the car.
Although the collective opinion might be different, Lance Stroll is not a “bad” driver. We’re not talking about someone who is always last, someone who struggles to even reach the level of his car, or who never delivers surprises. He stood on the podium in his debut season (in Azerbaijan) and returned to the Top 3 in 2020, twice (Monza and Sakhir).
We’re talking about a driver who can be fast—though inconsistent—on street circuits and who excels when track conditions are particularly slippery. Lance Stroll, we can say without fear, knows how to drive. However, sometimes it seems like he lacks motivation and work ethic. Never particularly smiley or friendly, he very often flattens out into performances of obvious mediocrity.
“Lance completely flies under the radar,” Gunther Steiner explained on the Red Flags podcast. “It’s strange, no one ever talks about him, good or bad, he’s just non-existent. I don’t think he’s a bad race car driver. We all know he doesn’t really need to do this. He’s a nice guy, you know?” – the former Haas team boss continued – “Maybe if the car stops him from getting on the podium, he thinks: ‘Yeah, I’ll manage, who cares, I’ll wait until next year to see if the car is better.’ I don’t know, I’ve never spoken to him. He’s one of those guys who rarely gets talked about when he’s in the points, and even less when he’s not. He’s just… there.”
“I wouldn’t even know if he raced [in Singapore], I’d have to check the stats, he’s invisible. He’s never been young, he’ll never be old! He’ll just be there! He’s above the rules.” – Gunther Steiner concluded.
Leave a Reply