For former driver Timo Glock, Lance Stroll has had his day in Formula 1: if he were team boss at Aston Martin, the Canadian would have no future with the team
“No” is Timo Glock’s clear answer to the question of whether he would go into the next season as Aston Martin team boss with Lance Stroll. For the former Formula 1 driver, the Canadian has squandered his credit. It’s not just about his lackluster performances, such as at yesterday’s press conference at his home race.
Stroll is no help to his team, especially on the track – and that in his ninth year in the premier class. “In sporting terms, he’s definitely not where he should be after such a long time in Formula 1,” Glock told Sky.
Stroll’s biggest weakness is particularly evident in qualifying. He has had seven teammates in his Formula 1 career so far, and has only beaten one of them in a qualifying duel within the team: Paul di Resta, who stepped in for Felipe Massa in Hungary in 2017 after a long break.
This means that he was unable to hold his own against Sergei Sirotkin, who, unlike Stroll, was a rookie at Williams in 2018 and only drove for one season, and Nico Hülkenberg, who stepped in as a substitute for four races at Racing Point/Aston Martin.
“He has suffered relatively clear defeats and has not really been able to impress with consistency this year,” says Glock.
Although he is ahead of Fernando Alonso in terms of points this season, he benefited greatly from the circumstances at the start of the season and has been waiting for points in a Grand Prix since China. Alonso retired in both races and has always finished ahead of Stroll in the race so far (when he saw the checkered flag).
In qualifying, the Canadian is 0-9 against the two-time world champion.
“There’s always a weekend where he looks like he’s closing in on Fernando Alonso, but over the course of a whole year, he’s just too far away, too inconsistent,” says Glock. “He then makes mistakes accordingly.” Added to this are emotional moments such as his alleged outburst in Barcelona, “which doesn’t help him either.”
And yet, as the son of team owner Lawrence Stroll, the 26-year-old seems to have carte blanche. No matter how he drives, Stroll has his cockpit secure – which doesn’t go down well with everyone.
Glock believes that Aston Martin should abandon the idea that Stroll has to occupy a cockpit. “In the current situation, you have to reposition yourself in order to be successful,” says the German.
He believes the team needs two consistent drivers and cites Williams and McLaren as positive examples where both drivers are driving the team forward. Aston Martin only has Fernando Alonso. “He’s a bit of a lone fighter out there, trying to make the step up,” says Glock. But that’s not enough in the long run.