Guenther Steiner has criticised a Formula 1 driver who he thinks wants out of the sport for good.
The 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix was perhaps one of the worst racing weekends of Lance Stroll’s career. He started off by destroying his Aston Martin in the barriers during Qualifying, bringing out one of five Red flags which plagued the delayed Sunday session.
While his mechanics did a tremendous job in fixing up his AMR24 in time for the race, Stroll thanked them by promptly spinning on the formation lap and beaching his car in the gravel trap at Descida do Lago.
With three podiums and a pole position to his name, Stroll has shown that he is capable of extracting the maximum out of the machinery beneath him. But careless mistakes and extended periods of underperformance have left many wondering why the Canadian still has a seat in F1 when many younger talents are waiting for an opportunity.
2024 has been a poor year for the 26-year-old, who has less than half the points tally of teammate Fernando Alonso and extended his run of pointless weekends to eight in Brazil. Stroll has also made a habit of giving short answers to media questions without much in the way of elaboration. On his retirement at Interlagos, he stated: “It was a really strange one… I was stuck in the gravel and my race was done.”
Former Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner thinks he knows the reason for Stroll’s bad driving in recent months.
He never seems to be happy
Speaking on the Red Flags podcast, Steiner reflected on Stroll’s formation lap incident: “The pressure got to him. He knew he did something stupid on the formation lap and then just didn’t take control anymore of what he was doing. I think he panicked.
“In situations when the world is looking at you, you’re always critiqued, you do something stupid on the formation. What to do next? Something more stupid. It’s just like a brain fart,” added the Italian.
Steiner also thinks he knows why Stroll appears as blasé as he often does in media sessions and interviews. He continued: “He never seems to be happy, whatever happens. We think he’s unhappy and maybe it’s just his expression. I think a lot of people critique him: ‘He’s such a bad driver. He’s just there because daddy has the team.’
“But put it this way: if daddy wouldn’t have a team, I don’t think Lance would be a Formula One driver because he doesn’t want to be one.”
Stroll will next compete at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, commencing Sunday 24 November at 06:00 GMT (22:00 local time, Saturday 23 November).
Feature Image Credit: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images