ASTON MARTIN BOSS ADMITS ‘WHOLE PROJECT AROUND LANCE STROLL’ AMID EXIT SPECULATION

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack confirmed that Lance Stroll is the focal point of their Formula 1 project at a time where fresh doubt has emerged over his career.

Stroll represents one of the more controversial figures on the F1 grid, as while his stellar junior category record proved the immense talent within, the role of his billionaire father Lawrence in his F1 career has led to long-standing question marks over how deserving he is of his place.

Aston Martin project built for Lance Stroll

While there has been flashes of true quality from Stroll since he debuted in 2017, he has never been able to turn those highlights into consistent strong form, the Canadian having debuted with Williams, following that up with a switch to Racing Point after his father purchased the bankrupt Force India team.

Lawrence has gone on to rebrand the team as Aston Martin, investing heavily with the goal of World Championship success, but Stroll has struggled up against two-time World Champion team-mate Fernando Alonso, who has recently signed a new deal to remain with the team until at least 2026.

And while few believe that Lawrence would fire his son over poor performance, speculation continues to rumble that Lance could walk away. However, Krack does not see this happening, as he openly admitted that “the whole project” revolves around the 25-year-old.

Speaking to media ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix about Aston Martin’s driver situation, Krack said: “Last week, it was mainly about Fernando. But we also know that Aston Martin is Lance’s home.

“We know that and the whole project has always been around him.

“So we look for continuity. I’ve always that that is very important. So we will see in the next weeks.”

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With Aston Martin determined to retain their Alonso-Stroll partnership, Krack was quizzed on the ongoing lack of opportunities for rookie drivers, as the F1 2024 grid set an unwanted record by not featuring a rookie.

Oliver Bearman’s Ferrari outing in Jeddah means a driver has made their F1 debut this season after all, though Krack believes there is a “duty” for teams to ensure that pathway into F1.

However, in this situation, he did not see a rookie option which gave them reason not to extend Alonso’s stay.

“I think in general, we have a certain duty to bring young drivers into Formula 1,” said Krack, “but the main thing is that we have the best possible drivers, independent of what is their experience level and where they’re coming from.

“So for us, it was what is the best choice, and if there had been someone from F2 or whatever which would outweigh what we have selected, we would have gone for it.

“But I think, in general, we need to look at how the situation is developing.”

The two most recent F2 champions, Felipe Drugovich and Theo Pourchaire, have not been able to secure F1 seats, with Drugovich serving as Aston Martin’s reserve driver.

2024-04-18T15:07:07Z dg43tfdfdgfd