Is Lance stroll worthy of his F1 seat?
After a P17 finish in Friday's qualifying, Lance Stroll's actions raised eyebrows, discarding his steering wheel and clashing with Trainer Henry Howe. Amidst whispers of Lawrence Stroll's Aston Martin sale, pressure mounts for the Canadian racer.
Lance Stroll has always been seen as a driver who was gifted his f1 seat by his father. But has his recent behaviour finally drawn the line? Or has this overshadowed his talent?
His recent behaviour
This weekend F1 is at Qatar, a track that has been causing frustration across the grid for the drivers.
The main issues have been with the low sun blinding drivers (Which even caused Lando Norris to hit a Board on the track), tyres not playing ball, and sand making for a slippery track.
This seemed to all pile up on the Canadian driver, as he was out in Q1 after a disappointing result of P17 for qualifying.
However, his reaction to this was completely uncalled for. Lance took it upon himself to throw his steering wheel out of the car and proceed to shove his Trainer, Henry Howe.
Not to mention his cold demeanour towards the media after his show of childlike behaviour.
Of course, drivers get angry, fly off the handle and can act inappropriately. But Stroll isn't fighting for the World Championship or fighting to keep his seat (Especially when your father owns the team).
Why act like a rookie who has everything to lose?
Rumours have been swirling around the paddock that Lawrence Stroll is debating selling his shares in the Aston Martin team to a Saudi sovereign wealth fund with a significant acquisition price of €800 million being mooted.
If this rumour is true then maybe this newfound strain to perform well is looming over Lance. Once the protection of his Dad is gone, he's all on his own.
Now is the time to prove himself as a worthy driver but if these tantrums prolong his public image will continue to wither.
Who wants a driver who throws your $50,000 – $100,000 steering wheel to the floor?
Not to mention the numerous statements coming out about Stroll's disinterest in being an F1 Driver. Something that others would kill for and never get the chance to achieve (such as female drivers).
"Father and son once came to our factory to have a look. I have never seen such an interested father and such an uninterested son," - An Ex Aston Martin team member was one to tell all about Stroll's lack of interest in the sport.
Even Jacques Villeneuve has shed light on the ease of Lance Stroll's career and just how much money his 3.7 Billion Dollar dad has to throw at it.
"Lawrence built his own karting track for his son, which was just a 15-minute walk from the house. Yet Lance travelled the distance by helicopter every day."
How Can Lance Change The Public's Opinion?
Lance needs to clean up his act and prove he cares about this sport.
I think he showed a bit of how much this sport means to him on Sunday after stumbling out of the car after a gruelling 57 laps of unbearable heat, which many drivers could hardly finish.
Not to mention at the start of the season in Bahrain he worked extra hard to get his sprained wrists back in shape for the Grand Prix.
This frustrates me and other F1 fans, Lance has shown talent and determination a lot throughout his career and this season.
But when you throw it all away by acting childish and spoilt it's hard to see past that.
The real question is would he have gotten this far in his career without his father? And the majority would simply answer no.
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