2024 review: another disappointing season for Lance Stroll
The Canadian had another difficult season with Aston Martin. Although the car was less efficient than in 2023, the gap with his teammate remained significant. Despite a promising start to the season, he never seemed to get into the rhythm afterwards. Will 2025 be the year of renewal for him?
It’s a driver who doesn’t seem to be progressing. In his eighth season in Formula 1, the Canadian once again alternated between good and less impressive performances, sometimes causing inconceivable incidents for such an experienced driver, as evidenced by his retirement in Brazil even before the start when, after making a mistake in turn 4, he tried to get back on track but went straight into the gravel, causing his retirement. While the former Williams driver has shown he can have pace, this demonstration seems increasingly rare as the seasons go by, particularly since 2021 with the team’s name change and the arrival of new teammates.
If Lance Stroll had some highlights at Racing Point (pole position in Turkey in 2020, three podiums in 2020), the arrival of Vettel and then Alonso at Aston Martin put a stop to the progression of the Canadian driver. Facing the top contenders in this sport, he struggled with the comparison. After a good 2021 season alongside the German, he seemed to regress in 2022, and the share of points he scored for the team decreased compared to the previous season. This trend continued with the arrival of the Spaniard in the team based in Silverstone.
A duel largely in favor of the Spaniard
In 2023, the duel between Alonso and Stroll was one of the most unbalanced on the grid. While the double world champion fought at the front of the grid and racked up podiums, the poleman of the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix was more withdrawn, likely due to his bicycle injury during the off-season. Despite this, the gap between the two drivers remains too large. In the sixteen races both drivers finished, Stroll only outperformed his teammate twice (in Spain and Las Vegas). While the former McLaren driver secured eight podiums during the season, the Canadian driver did not manage to clinch a single one (his fourth place in Australia was his best result of the season) and scored only 26% of the team’s points. If the race comparison is painful, the qualifying one is even more so, as in 2023, the Spanish driver finished ahead of Stroll 19 times out of the 22 Grand Prix (the Canadian beat him in Spain, Austria, and Brazil).
A slightly better 2024 season for Stroll
For their second year of collaboration, the two drivers this time had to deal with a much less competitive car than in 2023, as the team did not achieve a single podium this year. Despite a lack of performance with the car, the Canadian seemed to have regained some pace at the start of the season. After the first eight Grand Prix races, the two drivers were tied in qualifications (4-4).
An end of the season nevertheless transparent
However, this trend did not continue for the rest of the season as he only managed once to outperform his teammate in the fastest lap exercise (at Silverstone). Although he succeeded in outperforming Alonso five times throughout the season, the Canadian scored only 24% of Aston Martin’s points, a figure down from 2023 (24 points out of the 94 obtained by the team).
Data that is concerning, especially since the Montreal native is currently experiencing his longest series of races without scoring points (his last point was scored at the Hungarian Grand Prix, 11 races ago), which has worried Lawrence Stroll’s team as Haas, Alpine, and Racing Bulls have progressively caught up, and it seems to be moving further away from points with each Grand Prix.
Does Stroll have his place in F1?
If Aston Martin wants to win world titles in the coming years, can they count on the Canadian driver? Still present in 2025 for what will be his seventh season with the team, Lance Stroll must make significant progress to help advance the team. Although he is the son of the team owner, his seat remains in jeopardy. If the investment made by Lawrence Stroll matches his ambitions, he may one day decide to part ways with his son.
With the possibility of seeing Verstappen leave Red Bull, Aston Martin could seize its chance. In 2025, will we witness Stroll’s last season in F1? Many questions remain unanswered as F1 prepares to experience the last season before the arrival of the new regulations.
