You still believe that's what matters to Stroll Sr? If it was $ he cared about, of course he would replace his son. But that's not his priority.
Beside, not sure that money is in short supply at Aston Martin to create and develop a better car. But you can only spend it to the limit of the budget cap, and many teams struggle with that !
Baseball. The New York Yankees are a baseball team… Wealth compensating for individual lack of talent in sport is dystopic and absurd like something out of a short story by Vonnegut. Whatever else that is going on in the world is irrelevant. After all, we are in a motorsports forum, not a climate change forum. Regarding your point on nepotism, you cannot justify bad behavior by pointing to other bad behavior.
Yeah, I wonder what's Lawrence Strolls priority in running and financing an F1 team with his son as a driver. It's not to win as many points as possible that's for sure.
And therein lies the beauty: Father Stroll is willing to lose $ to keep his son's dream alive. Isn't that something?
That might be fine and dandy in Strolls world and your world but not in mine. I'm not FORCING my kid in F1 by paying an F1 team for a seat in F1 just get him in F1 while skipping F2 (Lance went from F3 to F1). If my kid wants to get in F1 then he is either: 1) Sponsored by an F1 team. 2) He gets in on talent alone. 3) 1 & 2 combined My son has to learn that money doesn't always get what you want. It has to be on merit with regards to F1.
No idea what the New York Yankee and Vonnegut are. I thought we were on a motorsports forum here, not on a general knowledge quiz. Coming from the US, your attempt to lecture me on wealth and nepotism is hillarious. Following F1 for the last 62 years, I adapted quite well to its evolution; pity you can't say the same.
Respectfully you're living in dreamland. The real world does not work like this and certainly not the world of F1. If you are willing to accept a dose of reality allow me to let you in on some information: 1) F1 team association programs are pay to play. Drivers PAY the F1 teams to be part of them NOT the other way around. 2) The catch 22 is that talent is something that needs to be cultivated and developed before anyone of importance will look at you. It costs many millions of dollars to get anywhere close to knowing if you are talented. Until then you only THINK you are talented. As it happens I spent part of my day yesterday at the local Kart track where they were running the first big regional event of the year. I spent my time talking to karting kids and their parents (I do a lot of young driver mentoring). It never ceases to amaze me how even people involved in racing are completely oblivious to what the REAL path to F1 looks like in 2024. It is populated with an overflowing amount of families worth hundreds of millions if not billions trying to get their kids into F1. Stroll is nowhere near as wealthy as some of them and this constant hammering of 'Stroll bought his way in' shows a comprehensive lack of knowledge about the sport.
Thank's for the information. Real world is Lawrence Stroll payed Williams $80 million USD to get his son an F1 seat. Lawrence Stroll didn't let his son compete in F2 to better his son's race-craft which is STILL lacking after 8 years on F1. Real World in Lance Strolls case is you don't jump from F3 then straight into F1 unless you got billions to BUY a seat in F1. Maybe some of you are okay with having Billions and BUYING your way into F1. Did Latifi do what Lance Stroll did? (skipping F2 and buying a seat in F1). How did Latifi pan out? Did Mazepin do what Lance Stroll did? (skipping F2 and buying a seat in F1) How did Mazepin pan out? Mind you, Latifi and Mazepin come from Billionare fathers too. In summary, Billionare fathers who want their sons to race in F1 come to find out that their sons, to include the sons as well, are not worthy performance wise to keep a seat in F1.....unless your father buys an F1 team thereby keeping your son on the F1 team even though your son sucks while knowing full well that IF the F1 team was running the show, they would kick out your son in a heartbeat.
Sorry for trying to compare the absurdity of Lance Stroll to two other things I thought were pretty universal. I find it hilarious that my take on ethics is any less valid than anybody else’s because I am American. I thought you were our resident anti-tribalism guy? What happened to that? Yes, it is unfortunate that I am not as adaptable to F1 no longer being the pinnacle of motorsports as you are.
I am going to put a few people on ignore now. Some folks are too sanctimonious for my taste, pretending to tell others how to spend their money. Also, I am too old to endure lessons in parenting on a F1 forum.
Do you think maybe you could at least try to delineate between the delusion that members are “telling people how to spend their money,” and you cheering nepotism and poor performance, before you go? Pretty please?
Yeah, F1, and America for that matter, are supposed to be a meritocracy. Neither actually are, but actively rooting for the anthesis of that is mind boggling unless you're someone that also benefits from nepotism or were born on 3rd base and think you earned it. Lance is both of those and clearly doesn't have the talent to benefit from it. He's never going to be a winner or champion in F1, money can't buy the talent or work ethic needed, and he has neither. He's had long enough to prove it. At this point he's actively getting worse. I also think that just because something is legal doesn't make it good or right. Sure What Stroll is doing is perfectly legal, but it's stupid and to the detriment of the sport and the AM brand.
THIS. Knowing about your inside view I was patiently waiting for you to chime in once more. Thanks for posting. F1 is not some democratic play ground where only the most talented drivers make it to the top. As William (or Nuvolari?) once said: Having $ is also trademark of a great driver. No bucks, no Buck Rogers.
I'm not disagreeing, but I would have to think there are multiple exceptions to this. Hamilton and Leclerc certainly did not come from money, so how did they manage?
PlanetF1 take on The Lance lol! Daniel Ricciardo is right – Lance Stroll makes the ‘blood boil’ It’s not so much the mistake itself, but the lack of remorse. That’s what, in the words of Daniel Ricciardo, really makes the “blood boil.” Lance Stroll has that kind of effect on people, and as his F1 career plunges deeper into crisis so his sense of entitlement has become ever more evident and just as much unpalatable. Where does it come from? Easy: with his father Lawrence the owner of the Aston Martin team, Stroll has never really had anyone to hold him accountable in F1. Hence why, despite benefiting from the guidance of the esteemed driver coach Rob Wilson, he has never developed in the way someone of his natural talent – and his peaks suggest there really is a very capable driver in there somewhere – might have done since his debut with Williams in 2017. Hence why he feels he can shove his own trainer after falling in Q1 in Qatar before treating the media’s questions with contempt. And hence why, after losing his concentration and piling into the back of Ricciardo at the restart of the Chinese Grand Prix, his instinctive reaction is to call Ricciardo “an idiot.” It’s never Lance, you see, but always the fault of something or somebody else. Compare and contrast his stinking attitude to that of Norris, Piastri, Leclerc and almost every other young driver to have arrived in F1 over the last decade, all touched with that crucial self-critical trait that characterises the very highest achievers in sport. In a world of glass-half-empty Landos and “I am stupid” Charles radio self-rebukes, Stroll’s utter refusal to take responsibility for anything is glaring. His latest major error on track comes at a time when his F1 future – against the backdrop of his constant beating by Alonso since the start of 2023 – is coming under growing scrutiny with Eddie Jordan, F1’s answer to Mystic Meg, among those convinced that this will be Stroll’s last season. His departure would naturally have significant repercussions for Aston Martin, Lance being the very reason the team exists in its current form (team principal Mike Krack admitted as much on Thursday, remarking that “the whole project has always been around him”). The hard truth, though? Few outside of the team would be sad to see him go.
It was a really good battle, I’ll give you that. But this is what I find so annoying about Stroll. He has these flashes now and then when you think OK, maybe he is a decent racer after all. Problem is they are few and far between. And in the meantime we are treated to a mediocre at best driver that turns into a petulant whiny ***** when things don’t go his way. I still remember his radio exchange a while back where he complained that the car was crap, and the team answered “OK, Lance, what do you need?” His answer? A practically sobbing “I don’t know.” (OK, Vettel could be a petulant whiny ***** at times too, but at least he had the driving chops to let it slide. Lance doesn’t.)
You describe why there is a growing disdain to the rich kids in motorsports, especially F1 when looked at from the common public. Most people still believe that one should earn advancement in life. Anyone would have to be super naive to not understand money goes a long long way and it has always been that way. But when we are talking about the supposed world's best, and it's just a hobby for the super rich, well it certainly hurts what F1 should be about (at least what we want to believe). I personally don't think F1 drivers (in general) are the best of best anymore. It's probably why Max destroys everyone. He isn't just some rich kid that bought his way onto the grid with zero talent. He's about as dedicated as it gets to racing. Max says that sim racing is more difficult than F1. Alonso long ago said there are far more talented drivers we'll never hear about than most who get into F1. Pay to drive is part of the game, always has been, always will. That's all fine and dandy, but I do think a driver should eventually prove deserving of being in F1. I think watching a driver perform through the ranks of F3 and F2 are vital to showing the best of the drivers who were fortunate enough to be financially supported that far. But money buying rides is getting worse and worse. Latifi, Stroll, Sargeant, Mazepin. None of them deserved and certainly didn't earn their way into F1. Stroll is the only one who has had an extended career because his dad bought the team, and the general public is fed up with it.
I don’t have a problem with "rich kids" driving Formula One. There have always been a few throughout F1 history. Anybody that can get one of the current F1 around a racetrack these days, has to have some talent, albeit not the best, and always ending at the rear, possibly due to the car, or not. Stroll, must have a little small talent. Bottom line I don’t think anybody would hire him if he was out of a job. I think the distinguishing feature ought to be whether anybody else would give you a nickel to drive their car. (Or take). I would like to see them all in EQUAL race cars ( choose which ones) and see how hot they are. Have them do 3 rounds and switch cars. Is Hamilton going to turn Ferrari into a winner? Wanna take bets? If anything, Ferrari will do the opposite, if anything. Stroll jr. is one perfect example of that, I mean, just look how he compares to Alonso, who is much older, much wiser and a much better driver. If it weren’t for him alone they would not be a 'competitive' racing team. I would fire Stroll Jr. and get a hotshot driver. But then, he'd have a hizzy fit. This, besides the fact that both Stroll senior and junior are jerks. I know a few people that used to hang with Stroll senior when he wasn’t a super billionaire, only extremely wealthy, and they say that he was an OK guy, but then he turned into a 'stronzo', a la Glick. I really don’t watch Formula One anymore as I think it has become strictly a business and it’s not a sport anymore. Too bad. Prefer to watch the recap on Netflix at the end of the year. No one there ever asks Stroll why he keeps his son in the team, wonder why... Regards, Alberto.
Most of the perspectives I see here are contradictory by their very nature. I'm willing to play along why not. It is generally accepted that the path to F1 is the following: karts, F4, F3, F2 then F1. Through each level the pool of perspective F1 drivers is cut down to the final few who will be considered to make it. Let's not also forget that nowadays if you are not in F2 by 20-22 years old you will not be considered. Up until F1 drivers are not paid and we can say that they are going to 'school' learning and honing their skills for the big job interview that is in front of the F1 team bosses. I'm sure we can all generally agree on what I have written so far. So we have a person who by the age of 22 needs to go to 'school' in order to become a professional in F1. Up until then drivers may show promise and talent but there are a LOT of people that do and it is necessary to cut down the prospects to a manageable amount (call it the top half of F2 which is still too many for the available spots). I think it is fair to say that any driver that proves themselves through all of these levels has earned the right to have a shot at F1. To make it even more accurate F1 has created a points system where you are not even allowed to race in F1 if you do not earn enough points. Remember this is based on results and all the money in the world cannot buy Superlicence points; the driver needs to score these themselves (agreed that tons of money helps put you in better teams but near the front the top F2 teams can pick and choose their drivers so it is actually on merit). Now for the rub. In order for our would be F1 driver to make it up this ladder it will cost them call it over 10 million Euros (I'm being super conservative as the number is generally much higher). Let's not forget that they will need this money starting to flow from before they are 10 years old and it will be spent in chunks of hundreds of thousands then millions per year so that they can go to 'school' and get ready for F1. Just as I am sure you would not want an operation performed by a doctor who tells you he is very good, I would rather have someone who went to school and is not cutting me open for their first time . Just like any professional needs to finance their way through school our would-be champion needs to pay for his own schooling. I know a lot of you will throw out the term 'sponsorship' but that implies a commercial return for the sponsor who is buying exposure for their company. If you can justify 500K Euros for a 10 year old karting to the advertising board of a company you are the world's greatest salesman. These are realities and with the increased exposure of F1 there are MANY more would be drivers making the competition MUCH higher than say 10 years ago. That said explain to me how can a driver expect to move up the ranks without money? Karts and junior formula race cars cost money to run in parts and people and someone needs to pay for it. Up until that point drivers are learning and hopefully having fun. Try asking someone else to pay for you to go on vacation and you will understand how silly lower formula 'sponsorship' sounds. Throw in that it is more like asking someone to pay for you to fly a private jet to a private island and you start to understand. Every driver knocking on F1 nowadays is by any metric incredibly wealthy. Some are billionaires while others their family scrapped together their last few tens of millions to just make it happen. Simply put by any metric EVERY F1 driver comes from quite a lot of family money and NONE of them came from poverty forging their way on talent alone. There is a glimmer of hope though. Although the lower formulas below F1 have gotten much more competitive and expensive, the recent budget cap allied to the huge commercial interest in F1, means that teams now can more and more choose their F1 drivers freely (not all but much more than EVER before in the last 40 years). Much less than ever does a team rely on the drivers money to top up their budget. This frees F1 teams to choose the very best from F2 and saves the drivers from competing with one another for that last big financial push to pay for their entry to F1. In a way getting to F1 is getting cheaper on the last step and more rewarding of talent since the budget cap came in. That said the early journey requires someone to pick up the tab
