07 October 2023 , 15:32
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Nico Rosberg feels Lance Stroll would be fighting for his Formula 1 future if his father did not own the Aston Martin team.
The Canadian started the season fairly well despite nursing two broken wrists. But he has especially gone off the boil since the summer break and hasn't scored a single point since July.
His 47 points put him 10th in the drivers' standings, while team-mate Fernando Alonso is fourth on 174. And the one-sided nature of that partnership means McLaren are quickly catching Aston Martin in the constructors' championship.
Stroll let out his frustration after another poor qualifying result in Qatar on Friday. Only 17th on the grid, he threw his steering wheel across the garage before pushing a colleague who was trying to make him walk in a different direction.
While 2016 world champion Rosberg said he can sympathise with a driver who is feeling the pressure, he blasted the Canadian for his outburst. "The behaviour there was poor – that steering wheel costs more than £20,000," he told Sky Sports.
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"He scratched the top of the car by throwing it, scratched the paint of his car, pushed his trainer away and everything. That's not on, not for the mechanics, not for the trainer, not for anybody. That's really bad behaviour.
"But of course, in a way I can relate because it's really painful, it's a real struggle when you're so far off. You don't know what's going on, social media is taking you on and speaking badly about you – it's really hard. Plus, you're in that situation where you are the son of the boss, so even internally, the pressure will be building a lot. So I wouldn't want to be in his shoes."
Lawrence Stroll owns the Aston Martin team (Getty Images)
Nico Rosberg questioned Stroll's place at Aston Martin (Sky Sports)Rosberg went on to question whether Stroll would be keeping hold of his seat if it weren't for that extra layer of protection he has from his billionaire father Lawrence. The German added: "If it was any other driver, he'd be out for next year.
"With the way that it's going at the moment and with the expectation the team has, they want to go to get podiums and wins. But we have to say at the same time that Lance deserves to be there, in theory, because he in theory is quick enough.
"I mean, he was at the beginning of season there or thereabouts with Fernando, who's one of the greatest of all time. So that's fine as a number two... I don't know what's going wrong there, but it's a really difficult situation."