Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll could soon be seen having a rather ‘tough’ and ‘uncomfortable’ conversation with his son Lance, who has been performing below expectations this season for the outfit.
A lot has been made of Lance’s position at the team, with critics always quick to point out the blatant “paid seat” that he joins as a direct result of nepotism stemming from his father’s role at Aston Martin.
With recent rumours linking Pierre Gasly with the Aston Martin seat alongside Sebastian Vettel, it has been mentioned that he would prove to be a far better option for the team.
Lance has scored two points this season following a couple of 10th position finishes.
While this was not such a contentious issue earlier, Sebastian Vettel’s recent return to form means that all eyes are now firmly placed on Lance’s performances.
Aston Martin has had a woeful 2022 campaign so far, coming 9th out of 10 constructors after eight races.
Herbert predicts tough father-son conversation ahead
Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert believes some tough questions may be in store for Lance rather soon.
“Lance has had a bit of a difficult time of late,” Herbert said.
“I sometimes think there is a certain time that, if it doesn’t quite happen, Lawrence has got to go ‘son, I’ve given you a chance. It isn’t quite working out. And I’ve got to do what’s right for the team’.
“I think there will be a point that’s going to happen.”
Herbert said that it is tough to guess exactly when this would be, but asserted that it will probably not be too far down the line unless Lance gets some positive results in the upcoming races.
“I don’t exactly know when that will be, but it’s down to Lance actually to do the job that he needs to do and consistently do that job. At the moment, it’s a little bit scrappy.”
Meanwhile, Pierre Gasly had videly been rumoured to be interested in Sergio Perez’s seat at Red Bull. However, this route seems to have been all but shut after Perez was seen putting pen to paper on a contract extension.
Gasly, though, would certainly be excited about joining Aston Martin, who Herbert feels could now prove to be his best option if he wants to push for a move away from AlphaTauri.
“I think he should be straight, straight there already,” Herbert said.
Gasly’s release clause at AlphaTauri
However, it could prove to be a tricky deal, especially if Gasly wants to make this move based on a specific clause in his contract. It has been reported that Gasly has a clause which will allow him to be poached by a team that is ranked higher than AlphaTauri in the standings.
That is certainly not the case with respect to Aston Martin.
Herbert, though, believes Gasly still needs to be more vocal and at least indicate that he is interested in a move to a new team.
“I think he should already be making inquiries about exactly what they want to do and say ‘yeah, I’m ready, and I’m willing to come on board’,” he said.
“I think that’s where drivers sometimes have to make those harsh decisions, if you call it that. But, from a career perspective, it’d be the right thing for him to do.”