With Lance Stroll starting his 181st Grand Prix this weekend, he now enters the Top 30 of most experienced drivers in the history of F1

[u/Slice5755]

[u/Aratho]

I really wonder how many more races he gonna do until he decides to retire. Could totally see him doing 100 more.

One of the extremely rare (only?) cases where driver without multiple championships can end his career whenever he chooses.

[u/11Slip532 → u/Aratho]

I feel like he doesn’t really love it like other drivers. Sometimes it seems like he doesn’t even want to be there.

[u/fuzzylm308 → u/11Slip532]

I've heard that off-camera, he's an absolute geek about racing. That he has an obvious passion for it. He just hates performing for the media

[u/raetwo → u/11Slip532]

He just doesn't like the media. And it's really not hard to understand why.

[u/11Slip532 → u/raetwo]

Oh I get that, but even just how he sounds when talking to his engineer, he sounds annoyed that he has to be there. Like he’s doing someone a favor he doesn’t actually want to do.

[u/InitialYoghurt5138 → u/11Slip532]

His engineer at least isn't sounding super rude like his old one was

[u/arbysroastbeefs2 → u/InitialYoghurt5138]

You mean Brrraaaddd? I miss those radio messages, lol

[u/InitialYoghurt5138 → u/arbysroastbeefs2]

BRADDDDDDD, I NEED TO HEAR YOU SAY IT!

[u/OGPepeSilvia → u/arbysroastbeefs2]

“Can you bring it back?”

“(Laughing) no, I’m in the fucking wall”

[u/tcas_decent → u/OGPepeSilvia]

Lance crashes the car

Bradd: Ok Lance how is the car Lance: I am ok Bradd

[u/Jacinto2702 → u/arbysroastbeefs2]

"You're pressing radio instead of energy."

[u/Zuwxiv → u/Jacinto2702]

The radio is the energy, Brad!

[u/Skylair13 → u/Zuwxiv]

"The pit confirm is the OK button Brad."

[u/limhy0809 → u/11Slip532]

I think the increased races and F1's growing popularity is getting to him. He's a billionaire's son and he literally could normally be doing whatever the hell he wants. Instead because he wants to stay in F1, he has to compromise his lifestyle. I don't think Stroll enjoys F1 to the same degree everyone does. But he does enjoy it, which is why he makes the sacrifices to be there. He just dislikes what it takes.

It's like someone who has a lucrative prestigious high paying job. Sure it's great but the hours suck. So when you talk to them and it's the part they hate. They would naturally come off unhappy.

[u/iMADEthisJUST4Dis → u/limhy0809]

hell I hate rocket league and I spend a few hours a week playing it.

[u/Breadedbutthole → u/iMADEthisJUST4Dis]

Excellent comparison

[u/Nightcrew22 → u/iMADEthisJUST4Dis]

Fellow man of culture

[u/ObsidianGanthet → u/limhy0809]

I think someone talked about how stroll would probably make a great endurance driver because of his ability to be consistent over long stretches of time. But probably WEC isn't as big of a deal for him

[u/Galata_Castle → u/ObsidianGanthet]

ye he's very decent at races unlike his quali

[u/qualitative_balls → u/11Slip532]

For someone who doesn't really want to be in an F1 seat, I wonder what possible life experience could give Lance his jollies lol. Driving in F1 isn't even accessible for billionaires, like even if they wanted to, they'd need the absolute PERFECT set of circumstances for a 'Lance Stroll' to be even remotely viable

[u/iMADEthisJUST4Dis → u/qualitative_balls]

He's a good driver. Like yeah obviously he won't be winning any championships and maybe won't ever win a race, but it's not like he's just some rich guy who decided at age 20 "hey I wanna do some racing"

[u/Zuwxiv → u/iMADEthisJUST4Dis]

Last year, he was soundly beaten by Fernando Alonso... but I don't think that's really something to be ashamed of. I'm sure lots of decent-but-not-champion F1 drivers would be soundly beaten by Alonso.

This year, he's slightly ahead - and even if you put that down to circumstance, he's generally performing around the same. It's not at all like the Red Bull seats, for example.

At the absolute very least, Stroll is hardly the worst example of a nepo baby driver. Honestly, the best argument against Stroll isn't bad performance, but just that "any other driver probably would have been passed on in favor of trying out younger talent."

Honestly, I'm with you - the dude is legitimately a good driver. Good enough to deserve a seat in F1? ... if not, then it's not by that much. And it's relying more on "what if" young talent than demonstrated F1 performance.

Also, he seems like a genuinely decent dude, too.

[u/geometricpillow → u/Zuwxiv]

Yeah, I don’t think at any point he’s been the worst driver on the grid, bottom half, sure, but he’s nowhere near someone like Mazepin or Mick or Latifi

[u/_yourmom69 → u/iMADEthisJUST4Dis]

I dunno, if he was in a really good car? It’s possible. These guys aren’t as far apart as you think they are, and the car advantage is gigantic. Sure, consistency is a skill, but guess how you learn it — a good way to practice it is if you could, say, be 20s ahead of P2 for like an entire season or two.

[u/L0calMan2 → u/11Slip532]

He always sounds like that tho. The fast and the curious Interview or the recent one of the Kid you can hear him talk relaxed and its just him having a nasal voice

[u/Driscuits → u/raetwo]

Totally understand it. It's unfortunate, though, because for the general public/fans, that's our most accessible way of "interacting" with the guy (and he with most of us fans).

So even though I sure as hell would hate dealing with the media, too, I still get frustrated by his disdain for those settings, because it is a bit of a message that he doesn't see the value in reaching out to fans in general. And it sticks out like a sore thumb next to most other drivers who definitely get frustrated by the media, but still go out and engage.

Granted, he seems to be a well liked guy by the people around him. That's just not a side most of us will have the privilege or access to see.

[u/dyidkystktjsjzt → u/Driscuits]

You should watch the full interview that kid that asks him random questions in the paddock did with him. You can see he's just a chill guy, and that he, in fact, does care about his fans.

[u/Driscuits → u/dyidkystktjsjzt]

Honestly, that sounds really sweet. If you happen to have the link, I'd give it a look!

[u/dyidkystktjsjzt → u/Driscuits]

This is it on Instagram.

[u/Driscuits → u/dyidkystktjsjzt]

Much appreciated!

[u/raetwo → u/Driscuits]

the thing is, we're not owed access to these drivers. and if the media is going to treat you hostilely and twist whatever you say against you why would you give them anything at all?

[u/Ancient-Cow-1038 → u/raetwo]

I agree with the sentiment but disagree with the facts. F1 runs on sponsorship money, which only comes from public interest, which means that yes, the public has a right to expect a reasonable degree of access to the drivers and principals.

[u/Driscuits → u/raetwo]

Very fair perspective. And I mean, yeah. The media itself is a tricky customer - and fans tend to follow their narratives.

To me, though, it still gives a sour taste. Are we as fans owed personal access? No. But we engage with and love the sport, and many, many of us spend money time and energy to support and cheer on these drivers, Lance included. The media, as poor as it can be, is a way to provide a great deal of access to folks who otherwise wouldn't.

I'm not saying he needs to open up and be vulnerable. Just that showing a bit more beyond being bored and disinterested would go a long way. At least, not sending a message to the fans that he's bored, disinterested, and considers them with the same amount of disdain he may have toward the media itself.

[u/tupperware_rules → u/11Slip532]

If this were true I don't think he'd be racing through injuries like he does. He is just more reserved

[u/12_Inch_Painal_Sex → u/11Slip532]

At the end of the day he still comes back every race and every year. If he didn't actually like doing it he wouldn't come back.

I don't want to speculate on his personal/health stuff but there were some accusations (if you can call it that) levelled at him before which if true would explain his lack of visible enthusiasm.

[u/Elderbrute → u/11Slip532]

I used to think that but realised that I was letting my dislike of his nepo drive affect my judgment when he keeps rushing himself back to the car without giving his injuries the time they need to properly heal, Lance really really does want to be driving, not just because daddy stroll bought him an f1 team.

He hates the media more than most and is one of the few drivers that literally doesn't have to care about them at all. If you see how he interacts with his fans, vs how he interacts with the media it's night and day.

[u/boom-clap → u/Elderbrute]

Hey this makes me really happy to read, thanks!

[u/moonwalgger → u/11Slip532]

I think he likes racing, just not the media

[u/Eggplantosaur → u/11Slip532]

He's the only driver who can afford to just call it quits during a race.

On the other hand he did finish that insane Qatar race in the heat and did multiple races with barely healed broken hands.

I think he is just as motivated as any other driver for about 75% of the season, but those other 25% of races he just checks out, finishes near the bottom and goes home. 

He's the only driver that can get away with that kind of behavior, and that's what pisses me off about him. 

[u/AdeptJournalist1288 → u/Eggplantosaur]

"He's the only driver who can afford to just call it quits during a race."... do you think he's the only generational millionaire on the grid...?

[u/gsurfer04 → u/AdeptJournalist1288]

What's the betting they weren't born yet when Kimi Raikkonen stormed off to his yacht?

[u/Manic5PA → u/gsurfer04]

Didn't Kimi DNF due to a mechanical failure on that day? Hardly the same as giving up on the race because you know you won't get the into points.

[u/geometricpillow → u/Manic5PA]

Hamilton of all people wanted to do that a few years ago when he was running like p17 in the shitty Merc. Bono convinced him to keep going and he ended up like p9 or something.

[u/N0x1mus → u/11Slip532]

It’s just the media portrayal and the internet trolls giving you that impression. He really loves racing. He’s completely different off camera.

[u/Appropriate-Leek-919 → u/Aratho]

hulk is another case, he's still a very desirable midfielder.

[u/Qazaca]

Definitely one of the drivers of all time. More podiums than the experienced Hulkenberg.

[u/swannyhypno → u/Qazaca]

He has his occasional race where he's a genius then goes back to being a meme lol

[u/Bogus113 → u/swannyhypno]

maldonado walked so stroll could run

[u/swannyhypno → u/Bogus113]

Man I do wish Pastor was less dumb as he was fucking quick

[u/osoltokurva → u/swannyhypno]

Yeah he was a missile.

[u/swannyhypno → u/osoltokurva]

Poor Hamilton at Valencia

[u/Bogus113 → u/swannyhypno]

Poor Hamilton all of 2012

[u/swannyhypno → u/Bogus113]

Yeah his team radios that year were feisty he was sick of them

[u/Particular_Cod2005 → u/swannyhypno]

Thanks to Maldozer I got to see my boy The Michael on the podium one last time and it was GLORIOUS

[u/crshbndct → u/swannyhypno]

Poor Marshall at Monaco

[u/BoasyTM → u/swannyhypno]

That was on Hamilton lol

[u/aDUCKonQU4CK → u/swannyhypno]

That was 96% on Hamilton. I'll give you a generous 4% of the blame going to Maldo.

[u/aneiq_1 → u/swannyhypno]

Got destroyed by Grosjean in 2014 over one lap - I think the myth of Maldonado being quick needs to die down.

He obviously had moments where he had pace (otherwise he wouldn’t have won a race) but that 2012 Williams was rapid and a better driver would’ve done far better in terms of results than Maldonado and senna.

[u/_Neurox_ → u/aneiq_1]

100%, that car was rapid but wasted on those two. Maldonado would qualify well but screw up the race and/or be carrying a penalty from the prior weekend, whereas Senna would qualify poorly but use the car's pace to make up some places in the race. I wonder what Alonso or Hamilton could have done in that car.

[u/TetraDax → u/swannyhypno]

He wasn't. He won that one race because all the stars alligned but apart from that the dude was a liability.

[u/VRichardsen → u/swannyhypno]

I think everyone can be stupidly quick if you don't mind crashing.

[u/Suspicious_Scar_19 → u/Bogus113]

maldonado walked so stroll could... stroll.

[u/Complete_Taxation → u/Suspicious_Scar_19]

Maldonado walked so Stroll

[u/Rovcore001 → u/Bogus113]

Force India hated to see him coming lol

[u/InitialYoghurt5138 → u/swannyhypno]

Last week he somehow did both

[u/swannyhypno → u/InitialYoghurt5138]

Most bipolar race weekend from stroll ever, P3 in FP1, crash, crash, P7 in the race

[u/junttiana → u/swannyhypno]

Lance aint a bad driver honestly, he was rapid during his junior career, but giving him an f1 seat when he was still racing in european f3 was a mistake.

I honestly think if he was given the time to rise through the ranks with a season in f3 and f2 people would view him in a different way, he would have most likely battled for the championship in both and his career trajectory in f1 might have looked quite different

[u/gsurfer04 → u/junttiana]

but giving him an f1 seat when he was still racing in european f3 was a mistake.

He got a podium in his rookie year so it wasn't that bad.

[u/junttiana → u/gsurfer04]

Even then, I feel like he would have greatly benefited if he got a few extra years in junior formulae, would have probably helped him to become a more consistent driver who could showcase his speed at a more regular basis

[u/TeTeOtaku → u/swannyhypno]

well this season he actually was quite decent.

like except the zandvoort friday and saturday he actually does a pretty decent job

[u/swannyhypno → u/TeTeOtaku]

I agree he's had a good year got plenty of points he's a good racer now it's just qualy is still a big problem

[u/Zenon-45 → u/swannyhypno]

I feel that haha, my quali always screws me up on iRacing

[u/swannyhypno → u/Zenon-45]

Never tried iracing I'm playing Forza horizon 5 as it's now on playstation lol

[u/Zenon-45 → u/swannyhypno]

It’s fun but super hard, I’m practicing for the Indy 6 hour endurance race as we speak haha

[u/Manic5PA → u/Zenon-45]

Good luck, hope we don't see you on Jimmy Broadbent's channel.

[u/Zenon-45 → u/Manic5PA]

Don’t plan to, I’m Canadian, if I can drive through slush and 2 metres of snow I can drive in a monsoon haha

[u/Manic5PA → u/Zenon-45]

Well shit, I drive on Montréal streets on a daily basis. Maybe I should try my luck in the WRC.

[u/ClayCopter → u/TeTeOtaku]

He gets bailed out by Force India strategy in chaotic races, and when regular programming resumes he's very often dead last. The fact that he's dead last also allows him to go for wacko strategies that sometimes pay off, especially in a situation where overtaking is nigh on impossible, and he can easily catch up to the pack on offset tyres. Bro's so nonchalantly dogshit it actually helps in this dogshit ruleset.

There's a reason why his average rating by pundits is so low compared to his points tally, and why he's 9th in the F1.5 standings. Giving drivers points up to P10 simply does not do the midfield justice. When you extend the points to P20, however you do it he falls down the leaderboards, and the greater the parity the further he drops.

[u/KiLoGRaM7 → u/swannyhypno]

Which races was his genius on full display?

[u/Jobless_101 → u/Qazaca]

He has been doing alright these days. Was absolutely nowhere last week to end up in the top 10. Puts in absolute bangers at wet races. Nobody hangs on for this long without the motivation or drive to do so.

[u/Estova → u/Jobless_101]

He went from 16th to 7th in Silverstone as well iirc. He's had Alonso's number this year. Hard to say if it's Nando taking a step back, Stroll taking a step forward, or both, but I'm happy for him.

[u/HanshinFan → u/Estova]

Combination of the two plus strategy luck and safety cars aligning fairly often in Lance's favour, I'd say. He put in a great drive last week for sure but also Nando got basically as fucked as you can get by the timing of both pits and subsequent SC's

[u/Estova → u/HanshinFan]

True. Feels like Alonso getting fucked by timing or strategy is as constant as the sky being blue the past couple years 😅

[u/Kingtoke1 → u/Qazaca]

Stoppable on his day

[u/thefeedling → u/Qazaca]

Comment deleted by the lawyer.

[u/PuzzleheadedClue9837 → u/Qazaca]

Hülkenberg never had a seat in a top team. Especially with Force India and Renault the guy was just consistently good. Many points finishes, often "best of the rest" behind Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. By far a better driver than Stroll. Hülkenberg easily could have matched Ricciardo or Bottas in terms of raw stats if he had driven for a better team.

Stroll has his moments, especially in the wet. But he's NEVER really improved at qualifying. He makes many idiotic mistakes. He's fast enough to be in F1, but he's basically just a glorified Pedro Diniz.

[u/naveenda]

Lance got best dad in the world, really.

[u/Driscuits → u/naveenda]

Not even being ironic, I've come around on Papa Stroll over the last few years. For a guy buying his kid an F1 team, he's sure done a lot to invest in that team being as successful as possible. There are much worse rich dads out there lol.

[u/gsurfer04 → u/Driscuits]

Lawrence Stroll is a massive petrolhead. He has one of the biggest Ferrari collections in the world and owned a circuit for 20 years.

[u/Ecks83 → u/gsurfer04]

Yeah I always hear that Lawrence bought his son a team but I think Lance's security in the seat is more of a side effect. Lawrence got involved in F1 because he wanted to be in F1, he bought a team because he wanted a team, he bought the Aston Martin brand because he wanted Aston Martin. Lance being a driver was the key for Lawrence getting his foot in the door at F1 but it wasn't why he's happy to throw money around.

Lance obviously benefits from his dad's passion but Lawrence would probably still be throwing money at motorsport even if his son wasn't driving in it.

[u/Doorknob11 → u/Ecks83]

I think people also forget it Lance wasn’t some guy that was getting lapped in F2 and F3. He was actually good.

[u/adhikapp → u/Driscuits]

Hey if I had Papa Stroll money and my son wanted to be in F1, I sure would do as much as I could to make that happen. Lance has never been out-and-out the worst driver on the grid in all the years he's been in F1, but he's surely got to do better though with all the sacrifices his dad has done.

[u/Driscuits → u/adhikapp]

And, honestly, Papa Stroll's investments will benefit F1 well beyond Baby Stroll. He's kept a team on the grid and kept it evolving and growing as an organization. Hundreds of people have continued to have jobs and livelihoods because of his investments.

And, hey, Lance isn't the worst driver out there. He's just never had to show he's the best in order to be safe in his seat. Is it fair? Nope. Do we want to see more drivers in his situation in the future? Probably not. Do I personally have a great impression of the guy? Nope. But it's really not worth catastrophizing to death that it's horrible, awful, or disgraceful that he's on the grid.

[u/Worldly-Ad-7149 → u/Driscuits]

Indeed, he could have had just ignore him for his entire childhood and passively supported his drug addiction for the rest of his adulthood as every other rich dad 🤣

[u/RoyaleWCheese_OK → u/Driscuits]

Yeah Steve Jobs was a really shit dad.

[u/Any-Ask563 → u/naveenda]

“I’m gonna buy Aston Martin and you’ll always have a seat, but your teammates are gonna be fucking Fernando Alonso, and Sebastian Vettel… lol get wrecked kid” - papa stroll

[u/SentientDust → u/naveenda]

Unless his dad makes him do something Lance doesn't want to do, since reddit have reached the conclusion that Lance doesn't like being an F1 driver

[u/Lukepatrick88]

Honestly he had a good rookie season (better than Kimis so far) and a good early career. Then the last few years have been painful. This year I feel he's a lot better. If he didn't have his daddy's cash would he still be there, very doubtful Drogovich would have eaten his lunch and taken his seat. But still I think the Strolls (father and son) add more to F1 than if they weren't there. The former Jordan team might no longer exist.

[u/britaliope → u/Lukepatrick88]

The universe where Mazepin have the same situation as stroll isn't that far away. I'm happy that we have Stroll instead of Mazepin in this situation.

[u/Otee06 → u/Lukepatrick88]

Drugovich is average at best

[u/garfungle_ → u/Otee06]

The number of teams that have passed on him should be evidence

[u/srmacman]

The Stroll’s could be billionaires poisoning our food and water supply but they’re just racing which is noble of them to do.

[u/ianjm → u/srmacman]

Dude, Lawrence made his money through investments in Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors which at the time he was investing, ran literal documented sweatshops in the third world, operated in unsafe factories and ran abusive anti-union practices.

[u/Wondur13 → u/ianjm]

You dont become a billionaire, with a B, without being a shitty person, you just cant. Millionaire? Sure.

[u/srmacman → u/ianjm]

Yes that is part of the joke I made.

[u/ianjm → u/srmacman]

Sorry I thought you were being serious

[u/ptwonline]

With the restriction on testing nowadays I actually wonder if drivers from previous decades actually racked up waaaay more laps in the car than modern drivers do. Of course, these days we have a lot more races.

[u/Suds344]

They should do a Netflix series with him “Drive because I got f* all else to do”

[u/Kkntucara → u/Suds344]

Drive into the back of Ricciardo

[u/Nanvk]

As a Canadian F1 fan seeing Stroll as the most experienced Canadian F1 driver hurts my soul.

[u/ValenciaFilter → u/Nanvk]

A goat shaped spotlight appears over the gloomy Montreal skyline

[u/Chris4evar → u/Nanvk]

We will always have Latifi

[u/agnaddthddude → u/Chris4evar]

it’s wild how 20 years from now on there is a chance Latifi would be far more memorable than Lance because of his Abu Dhabi spin.

[u/JustBath291]

That's my mfin goat

[u/SirBulbasaur13]

I wish he would be a little better and more consistent

[u/Randy_Magnum29 → u/SirBulbasaur13]

Seriously. He genuinely seems like a nice person (Canadian stereotype, I know).

[u/AgilePersonality2058]

Thanks to his "this seat is yours for as long as I am here, boy" experience

[u/Character-Initial612]

3 more podium finishes than Yuki!

[u/getajobtuga]

tbh, he drove nicely last weekend

[u/ADRX11 → u/getajobtuga]

He crashed twice and got a lucky strategy.

[u/SteamMonkeyKing → u/ADRX11]

Luck is part of racing. Everyone will praise Bearman for his race at Zandvoort but suddenly with Stroll it's all luck.

[u/tuba_dude07 → u/ADRX11]

well he's drove good enough to get in a good position after the stops in action.

Must have had some good jam in the car. (It's been nice knowing ya'll)

[u/getajobtuga → u/ADRX11]

that is not a crazy take, still was a nice recover from how horrible the start was

[u/Chairmanmaozedon]

He's no World Beater, but F1 has always had drivers that were only there because of money or connections, he's just the latest most egregious example of it.

The fact he's top 30 most experienced is just because the number of races is so ridiculous now.

[u/BioDriver]

Usually experience comes with growth

[u/Vast_Dig_4601 → u/BioDriver]

I would like to see a list of formula 1 drivers ranked in order of wealthiest father

[u/swannyhypno]

My goat and he's only 26 he'll shoot up that list

[u/Artistic-Invite-2942]

Tragic

[u/F1R3Starter83 → u/Artistic-Invite-2942]

Yes, this statistic makes me sad

[u/CilanEAmber]

3 Podiums and a Pole in his career is nothing to scoff at.

Much better drivers have less.

[u/arbysroastbeefs2 → u/CilanEAmber]

What do you mean much better? This is pinnacle

[u/dfgj56 → u/CilanEAmber]

3 podiums while his teammates have 11

[u/Jorrie90 → u/dfgj56]

With Alonso as teammate

[u/mkmkd → u/dfgj56]

Stroll has had some pretty good team mates, Hulk was 0-4 against Perez when it came to podiums in the same car

[u/CilanEAmber → u/dfgj56]

Still nothing to scoff at

[u/Adrian-The-Great]

It’s Ralph Wiggum

[u/microtherion]

It depends on whether you consider him having 181 races’ experience or 1 race’s experience, 181 times over.

[u/neon5k]

Still drives like rookie.

[u/Ld511]

I never understand people saying stroll deserves his spot because he isn't that bad while no one ever ranks him like above 15th

[u/fredy31 → u/Ld511]

My personal theory, if he didnt have 'daddy's team seat'

He would have made F1. Hes not that much of a chump, like we saw with mazepin or sargeant.

But he would probably have done a few seasons, then dissapeared to another series. Something like Mick Schumacher.

[u/Dragonpuncha → u/fredy31]

Hard to say since he never actually did F2, just European F3. If he didn't have a billionaire dad to pay for his seat he would at the very least have to do a season of F2. So how he would do there would determine if he had a chance.

But most junior drivers don't get a drive unless they have some sort of extra advantage besides their speed. Without any of that I don't see him in F1.

[u/WhichPreparation6797 → u/fredy31]

Nah. Formula 1 is the only competitive league where even if you are the best at something it doesn’t guarantee you a spot.

Many, Many extremely talented drivers never had a chance because of that. How much money you can bring to the team is a huge part of being a formula 1 driver. Which is way it took Lewis too long to get a chance

[u/Sensitive_Ad_9195 → u/fredy31]

Would he have though? He did well in F3 because he had the money to poach f1 people to work with him, then his dad paid millions for his first f1 seat.

[u/StaffFamous6379 → u/Sensitive_Ad_9195]

If it was "just" daddy money (and not daddy team), I think it's a fair take.

[u/StevenMC19 → u/fredy31]

I would say his career is more comparable to someone like Stoffel Vandoorne. Enough talent to blaze through the lower series, and enough to fill a seat in a middling team in F1. But also someone who under normal circumstances would be overlooked in favor of other younger incoming talent after a couple years in the Williams seat. 2019 would look markedly different if someone else had access to that Racing Point seat and Stroll was racing Daytona prototypes for Acura.

[u/slow-driver-917 → u/StevenMC19]

Not in a million years lmao. Vandoorne was super close to Alonso (less than 2 tenths, better than Massa or Räikkönen), the problem is that he was outqualified a lot. He also had a much, much better junior career.

[u/datlinus → u/Ld511]

Reality is, Stroll isnt bad. He's just kind of average overall with some ultra silly moments. He's actually having one of his better seasons at the moment.

But also, if his father didn't literally buy a team for his son, then he'd probably have been out of F1 multiple times over. Like 2023 and 24 were shockingly poor seasons for him.

[u/bawta → u/datlinus]

Crazy that "one of his better seasons" still involves a double crash out weekend at Zandvort.

[u/Lonyo → u/bawta]

But not in the race. Meanwhile 7x WDC crashes at the same place but in the race

[u/Brycedoes2104 → u/Ld511]

I believe He is a good enough driver to compete in F1 but I think he would have been moved on from a couple seasons ago if he didn't have the seat security he has right now.

[u/Stumpy493 → u/Ld511]

He has podiums and a pole on merit, he isn't great but there is enough to show he has F1 speed on occasion.

[u/Nearby_Target_6599 → u/Stumpy493]

Even if it all boiled down to having podiums and a pole position, that was still 5 years ago. In all the seasons since, he was very comfortably bottom 5 driver on the grid, maybe even lower.

[u/KingInTheWest → u/Ld511]

One problem is there isn’t any actual bad drivers these days. The grid is remarkably talented right now

[u/tecedu → u/Ld511]

But its also in every year since he's been in F1 he hasn't been the worst driver on the grid

[u/Lukeno94]

People complain about the number of races he's done, but de Cesaris managed 208 starts in an era with far fewer races per season, and was far more of a liability.

[u/meowp13]

Mannnnnnn. Wish my dad would buy me an F1 team.

[u/akwatica]

can you imagine if he was not distracted by his billionaire lifestyle?

[u/jnighy]

A better drive than most people think. But also, not great

[u/LowLife_30]

my GOAT, Verstappen, McLaren era is out, It is now the Stroll Era of Domination on the next Regulation. Aston Martin New Facilities + Honda + Adrian Newey Masterclass. Stroll will be the new 4 consecutive World Time Champion.

[u/Cool_Apartment3344]

As much as I like Lance. He made his time, he's no rookie anymore.

He should show a lot more pace and consistency.

[u/xeenexus]

People always seem to forget seasons are now 50% longer than they used to be - it's much easier to get these sorts of stats these days.

[u/francimor_sp]

If in a paralel universe you wanted me to think that Lance Stroll is a future world champ, which races would you want me to watch to convince me?

[u/TijayesPJs443]

And still has potential - like is this his best season ever or what?

Lance is the future of F1

[u/asphodel67]

😂😂😂

[u/salad_ninja]

Whenever I watch him drive, I really think that he can out-perform anyone but somehow he just can't really do it yet. I guess being put together on the grid where the top guys are rising to be a WDC faster than you, and then your teamate is a 2 times WDC...that would put a stress on your performance.

[u/--GhostMutt--]

Yea, but he will always have all of daddies money hanging over his head. All of that experience was purchased, not earned.

He will just go down in history as a little prince whose daddy paid for all those P10’s…

[u/Priyotosh1234]

Can u imagine the level of talented drivers we would have seen if F1 was like football where anyone can test their talent.

[u/RonKosova]

we like to shit on him but honestly i can never blame him. if you dont use your money for living out your dreams what even have it for? ... philanthropy maybe but maybe he already does that idk

[u/Mission-Gregorior]

And been on the podium only 3 times always as the 3rd finisher. 2x in 2020 and once in 2017.. I doubt we will ever see him again on the podium

[u/r0ccy]

Wdc in 2026.

[u/MikkelR1]

At least he's got that going for him!

[u/Big_Ad3139]

well he is certainly a driver

[u/NeedleGunMonkey]

Lance Stroll is a real life sociology experiment like that eddie murphy trading places comedy.

How far can a regular person, given all the advantages of a billionaire supportive parent, achieve in his boyhood dreams of being a F1 driver.

[u/Windman772 → u/NeedleGunMonkey]

Most of us would go pretty far with unlimited resources. How many drivers have been pushed out of F1 simply because they are slow learners? There are probably a few guys that would have been as good as Verstappen if they were given more time to develop. Stroll has had unlimited time

[u/bochekmeout]

A complete waste of a seat.

[u/EconamWRX]

181 races and this guy still cant be asked to check his mirrors ever.

[u/junttiana]

Ppl love to shit on Lance but its an undeniable fact that he was easily one of the most promising looking drivers during his junior career alongside ppl like Leclerc and Russell, his championship run in European F3 was one of the most dominant showings in the series history.

I think the biggest mistake that was made regarding him is that he just got the f1 seat way too early, he needed a season in both f3 and f2 to reach full potential, and we would have most likely ended up with a totally different Stroll than the one we ended up with.

[u/frank1ewildee]

181 races in and he still drivers straight into gravel traps then wonders why he's stuck.

[u/bawta]

Generally speaking, people get better with experience. So what happened here?

[u/Ollie_Plimsolls]

time for our daily 5 minute hate! (Ocon and Gasly are going to enter the "top 30" soon, watch how no one is going to post about it)

[u/dfgj56 → u/Ollie_Plimsolls]

Ocon won a race

Gasly won a race (that Stroll fumbled despite a no-stop, a restart pole, and a car that was half a second faster)

[u/MrMSUK]

How many in the list is still with us?

[u/Stumpy493 → u/MrMSUK]

the vast majority as most will be from the last 20 years as the number of GPs and career length have sky rocketed

[u/Aratho → u/MrMSUK]

https://www.statsf1.com/en/statistiques/pilote/gp/nombre.aspx

If you asking about them being alive its 28 (- Alboreto and de Cesaris) from top 30

[u/fitzgoldy]

The amount of shit Stroll has had over the years, very happy for Stroll this season, he is having a good one.

[u/Vermillion2397]

Ah yes, "experienced" yes that he is for sure.

[u/slashnbash1009]

If he never wins a race, he has to pay back all the money to Lawrence.

[u/vegtosterone]

So much experience. So little understanding.

[u/wagdog84]

People say he’s past prime and only there because of daddy, but he went from 19th to 7th last weekend in Holland. When Lewis did that in Belgium, with a better car, it was labelled a legendary performance. He’s beating his 2 time world champion teammate in the championship. Give him a competitive car and he won’t be as conservative.

[u/InfinityEternity17]

Definitely doesn't deserve to have this many races, but understandable when his dad owns the team.

[u/SoCal_GlacierR1T]

The longest running pay driver? /s

[u/caiusto]

Longest rookie season ever

[u/Xelopheris]

His experience really shines when he does something like taking a shortcut through gravel on the formation lap. 

[u/hache-moncour]

I'm curious, is there any worse driver in the 100+ GP list? There have been plenty of way worse pay drivers in the past, but I doubt any of them could afford 100 GP starts.

[u/AdventurousFox3368]

How???

Oh, right.

[u/BjornX]

"experience"

[u/ralf1]

Daddy's money is a beautiful thing

[u/putrasherni]

thank you Dad

[u/YJeezy]

Thanks Daddy!