Lance Stroll could lose F1 seat as "logical" Aston Martin replacement identified

22 June 2023 , 14:34

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Lance Stroll has struggled this season (Image: AP)

Lance Stroll has been warned he could be axed by Aston Martin after a season of struggles - in stark contrast to teammate Fernando Alonso.

Former Ferrari ace Alonso has secured six podium finishes in eight races and current sits third in Driver Standings behind Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

Stroll, meanwhile, has only secured one top five finish this season. Now, despite his billionaire father Lawrence owning the team, he has been warned by former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher that he could find himself replaced by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

"So far, there have only been Mercedes and Red Bull as potential options," Schumacher told Sky Germany. "Mercedes is not quite as current at the moment, and it's safe to assume that Hamilton will continue there.

"But I believe a strong candidate is also Aston Martin, as they also need to look around. Fernando Alonso will have another year after that. Who knows, [Lawrence Stroll's] son doesn't fulfil the season goals, they may need to bring in another strong driver for the future, building alongside Fernando Alonso.

Lance Stroll says he's a "better driver" ahead of Fernando Alonso F1 team-up

"Accordingly, that would be a logical possibility for Charles Leclerc, also considering the Honda partnership eventually."

Schumacher's comments come after Formula E driver Oliver Askew made a similar assessment of Stroll's performances so far this season.

"I can't help but think how much further ahead in the constructors' [Aston Martin] would be over Mercedes with the help of Lance Stroll," he told the BBC's Chequered Flag podcast. "Yes, he did score points [in Canada, but] it was only a couple.

Aston Martin chief Mike Krack has defended Strol's performances (Getty Images)

"He will be looking to learn how Fernando is getting the success, hopefully, and be able to match him more or just get thereabouts as that's all he needs to do to help that team." However, Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack defended Stroll following his ninth placed finish at the Canadian Grand Prix, stating: "I think he did really well.

"[In qualifying], he struggled with grip, and if you struggle like that, and you don't have the confidence, then it's very difficult. [During the race], I think he drove really well. We took him out of traffic, and when he was out of traffic, he managed the lap times of the frontrunners on hard tires.

"If you are in this DRS train, it's really hard. To come from 16th to ninth is a great achievement. On paper, it looks only ninth, and when your team-mate finishes second, you think it's not a good performance. But when you see where you’ve come from, I think it was very good.

"I think he will take the positives from here and with the races to come. We know he's very strong in high-speed circuits, and we have a couple of such circuits to come, so I'm confident that we can score with both [drivers]."

Matthew Cooper