Esteban Ocon defends Lance Stroll: “He’s not in F1 just for the money—his passion is real”. Esteban Ocon defends Lance Stroll from criticism.

Lance Stroll will be regularly present in Montreal to take part in his home race behind the wheel of the Aston Martin F1. And perhaps this small encouraging sign could mark a turning point in the Canadian driver’s unlucky season, which continues to make headlines more for disappointing results—and for that troubling record of Q1 eliminations that, weekend after weekend, seems destined to reach new heights—than for his on-track performances. There have also been off-track issues, such as the alleged argument in the garage after Saturday in Barcelona and the wrist injury that prevented him from racing in that Grand Prix. A constant that the 26-year-old has carried with him for some seasons now is a certain lack of enthusiasm in interviews and in front of the media, which certainly doesn’t help in conveying an image of great passion for racing.

Esteban Ocon plays Lance’s advocate
This idea, however, was refuted by Esteban Ocon. The French Haas driver is one of Lance Stroll’s closest friends in the paddock, and in an interview with the Journal de Montreal, he dismissed the narrative that the Canadian is only in Formula 1 to please his father Lawrence (who even bought Force India and turned it into Aston Martin in 2021 to support his son’s career): “I know he doesn’t talk much, but that’s because he mainly opens up to people he trusts. In reality, he’s a lovely person—and so is his father.”

“People don’t understand how passionate Lance is,” Esteban Ocon continued in defense of his friend and colleague. “There’s probably no one more passionate than him in the world of racing. Everything else interests him less, because what he loves most is driving the car. In F1 just for the money? No, because he also won international trophies back in his karting days, when people like me, Max Verstappen, and Charles Leclerc were also on track. We all fought against each other, and Lance Stroll was part of that group. It’s not true that money alone got him here—not entirely. Sure, there are easier ways to make it to F1, but in the end, money isn’t with you when you’re inside the car.”