Aston Martin boss on Stroll: 'People underestimate how good Lance is'

Canadian Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll isn’t getting the credit he deserves, according to Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack.

“People underestimate how good Lance is – they think he’s only here because his father owns the team and put him in the car,” Krack told Forumla1.com. 

“But you don’t do as well as he has against a four-time World Champion by accident, and you don’t win as many junior single-seater championships as he has by accident either.”

Stroll, 23, made his F1 debut in 2017 with Williams and now drives for Aston Martin, which is partly owned by his father Lawrence.

In 2021, Stroll was paired with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and next season will have Fernando Alonso as his new teammate.

Stroll made headlines in his first season on the circuit when he finished third at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Montreal native, who was 18 at the time, became the youngest rookie to reach an F1 podium.

For his career, Stroll has three podium finishes and one pole position at the Turkish Grand Prix in November 2020.  

Stroll currently sits 18th in the 2022 standings with five points and is coming off his first race retirement of the season two weekends ago at the Italian Grand Prix. Vettel is in 13th place this year with 20 points.

Krack explained that Stroll has not always been put in a position to succeed on the track.

“It’s important to remember that Lance has never really had a winning car in Formula 1, a car in which he can show what he’s capable of – to really deliver on his talent,” said Krack.

“When Sebastian joined the team, people were saying Lance had no chance, but Lance has performed incredibly well against a four-time World Champion – they’ve been closely matched. People are saying the same thing