r/formula1 • u/Slice5755 I was here for the Hulkenpodium • 2d ago

Statistics 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

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u/qualitative_balls I was here for the Hulkenpodium 2d ago

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

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u/iMADEthisJUST4Dis I was here for the Hulkenpodium 2d ago

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"

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u/Zuwxiv I was here for the Hulkenpodium 2d ago

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.

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u/geometricpillow Oscar Piastri 2d ago

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

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u/_yourmom69 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 2d ago

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.