Lance Stroll’s poor work rate has been identified by sources close to him as the leading factor behind the Canadian driver failing to make a mark in F1 despite having little pressure to keep his seat.
Lance races for Aston Martin, a team that is owned by his father Lawrence Stroll.
Naturally, there is little doubt that Lance is under any serious pressure to perform despite his teammate Fernando Alonso delivering far better results since linking up with the team.
In the season’s first five races, Alonso has managed an enviable four podium finishes.
His record has helped Aston Martin climb to second position in the constructors’ standings, stationed behind trailblazers Red Bull.
It is a far cry from last season, where the team was largely viewed as a midfield contender.
Lance has do deal with plenty of criticism due to the lack of eye-catching results, with many fans branding him a ‘pay driver’.
This has often led Lance to believe that fans don’t give him ‘due credit‘ for his skill, but it appears like the Canadian driver is doing himself no favours by refusing to put in the hard work himself.
At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Stroll finished the race 30 seconds adrift of Alonso even though he had qualified just four-tenths behind him.
Lance doesn’t put in the required effort
Reputed F1 journalist Andrew Benson, who has kept an eye on the Aston Martin driver over the years, believes the reason behind Lance’s inconsistency is obvious from close quarters.
Speaking on BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast, Benson accepted that Alonso has plenty of experience to rely on and there may not be many others who can match his speed, but pointed to where Lance goes wrong.
“He’s got talent, Lance Stroll, there’s no question about that,” Benson said.
“[At Williams] I think he qualified fourth and ended up on the front row at Monza in 2017 in the wet.
“He put the Racing Point on pole in Turkey in 2020, that famous race, and led that race for a long way.
“But he’s not consistent and people who know him say he doesn’t work hard enough.
“I think he’s finding what nearly every teammate Fernando Alonso has ever had is finding. The guy is just super special and he sets a standard that very, very few people can even get close to.”
Alonso consciously training Lance for future leadership
Fans have been quick to notice Alonso making an additional effort to help Lance and praise him whenever he gets the opportunity.
This is a conscious effort on the part of Alonso, who has confessed that he is offering Lance as much intel as possible since the youngster will soon be leading the team himself.
“I know that I will be in the sport for a few more years but not many, and he will lead the team for the next 10 or 15 years, so I hope I can help Lance in the next few years,” he said.
Alonso currently sits P3 in the drivers’ standings with 60 points and is already 33 clear of Stroll after the first five races.
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