Aston Martin Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll believes that his
son Lance Stroll has been the victim of “bad luck” during a
challenging 2023 Formula 1 season. The Canadian has yet to score a
point since the summer break, having suffered a retirement in Japan
due to a rear wing failure and withdrawal at Singapore following
his heavy crash during qualifying which wrote off his chassis. The
bulk of the 230 points scored by Aston Martin so far this season
have been scored by Fernando Alonso, with Stroll contributing just
47 points. He started the year on the back foot after sustaining a
wrist injury during pre-season, leading to him missing pre-season
testing in Bahrain. The comeback was visibly rushed for Stroll, who
was having to take his hands off the steering wheel during the
opening race to alleviate some of the pain and admitted his “wrists
were on fire” as he finished sixth in the Grand Prix itself.
Further questions were asked over the viability of his seat on the
grid going forward, following a spat with his trainer Henry Howe
when he suffered an early exit from qualifying at Qatar which
prompted an FIA investigation over violent conduct . Stroll: Half
of his races have nothing to do with ability Despite his struggles,
Stroll is on course to finishing in his highest position in the
Drivers' Championship of his F1 career this year, currently sitting
in 10th place, one point ahead of Pierre Gasly and two ahead of
Esteban Ocon. He also has the safety net of being part of a team
that is owned and run by his father Lawrence, who believes his son
has been hindered by some of bad luck that has struck him
throughout the year which has prevented him from reaching his
maximum abilities. “Lance started the year on the back foot with
two broken wrists for the first half-dozen races, which was very
challenging, but really did a heroic job – and he's had an
unfortunate amount of bad luck,” Stroll told Sky Sports . “He's had
nine retirements due to engine failures, or a rear-wing fail [at
the Japanese Grand Prix]. “Half of the races it hasn't been
anything to do with his own abilities, he has just had a lot of bad
luck, sadly.”
son Lance Stroll has been the victim of “bad luck” during a
challenging 2023 Formula 1 season. The Canadian has yet to score a
point since the summer break, having suffered a retirement in Japan
due to a rear wing failure and withdrawal at Singapore following
his heavy crash during qualifying which wrote off his chassis. The
bulk of the 230 points scored by Aston Martin so far this season
have been scored by Fernando Alonso, with Stroll contributing just
47 points. He started the year on the back foot after sustaining a
wrist injury during pre-season, leading to him missing pre-season
testing in Bahrain. The comeback was visibly rushed for Stroll, who
was having to take his hands off the steering wheel during the
opening race to alleviate some of the pain and admitted his “wrists
were on fire” as he finished sixth in the Grand Prix itself.
Further questions were asked over the viability of his seat on the
grid going forward, following a spat with his trainer Henry Howe
when he suffered an early exit from qualifying at Qatar which
prompted an FIA investigation over violent conduct . Stroll: Half
of his races have nothing to do with ability Despite his struggles,
Stroll is on course to finishing in his highest position in the
Drivers' Championship of his F1 career this year, currently sitting
in 10th place, one point ahead of Pierre Gasly and two ahead of
Esteban Ocon. He also has the safety net of being part of a team
that is owned and run by his father Lawrence, who believes his son
has been hindered by some of bad luck that has struck him
throughout the year which has prevented him from reaching his
maximum abilities. “Lance started the year on the back foot with
two broken wrists for the first half-dozen races, which was very
challenging, but really did a heroic job – and he's had an
unfortunate amount of bad luck,” Stroll told Sky Sports . “He's had
nine retirements due to engine failures, or a rear-wing fail [at
the Japanese Grand Prix]. “Half of the races it hasn't been
anything to do with his own abilities, he has just had a lot of bad
luck, sadly.”