2024 F1 mid-season driver rankings #18: Lance Stroll · RaceFans

When Lance Stroll was introduced to be signing a contract extension with Aston Martin, it got here to the shock of completely no one.

Whereas the 25-year-old’s performances over the past two seasons have hardly been these of a driver deserving a seat in one of many prime 5 groups on the grid, it doesn’t appear to matter. Virtually actually, the truth that Stroll’s father is the chairman of Aston Martin offers him unparalleled job safety.

Coming into his second season alongside his a lot older, far more skilled and, seemingly, a lot sooner staff mate Fernando Alonso, Stroll didn’t get pleasure from a very robust begin to the season. After kicking off his marketing campaign in stable type with a degree in tenth behind Alonso in Bahrain, Stroll hit the within wall on the quick left-hand kink of flip 22 twice over the Jeddah weekend, placing an unceremonious finish to time in Saudi Arabia whereas Alonso completed fifth.

Japan was one other poor spherical. He was eradicated from Q1 whereas Alonso certified in fifth and was merely far slower than his staff mate on Sunday. In a race with out harm or any main setbacks out of his management, Stroll completed a minute behind Alonso in the identical automobile. Issues didn’t enhance subsequent day trip in China both, as as soon as once more he was not on the extent of Alonso over the weekend, failing to document a degree however managing to earn a penalty for operating into Daniel Ricciardo underneath Security Automobile.

Whereas Stroll’s worst performances got here at the beginning of the season, he additionally continued to frustrate in Monaco, the place he punctured his personal tyre by clipping the barrier on the harbour chicane. He was then fortunate to keep away from a severe penalty for an unacceptable incident of aggressive driving in the direction of Lewis Hamilton in apply in Barcelona.

However it might be fallacious to recommend it has been all dangerous for Stroll up to now in 2024. In reality, his weekends at Imola and the Pink Bull Ring have been genuinely robust, making glorious work of his technique in Imola to climb into the factors from thirteenth with an extended opening stint earlier than exhibiting up Alonso once more in Austria with one other stable weekend regardless of Aston Martin being properly out of rivalry for factors. His trio of rounds in Austria, Britain and Hungary have been all first rate and he seemed to be carrying real momentum into the summer time break, just for him to finish up being the one driver within the area to crash across the moist Spa-Francorchamps over the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.

If Stroll can resume the ultimate ten rounds of the season in the identical form of kind he went into the summer time break with, then he has a powerful likelihood of rising within the rankings by the tip of the season. But when continues to have sloppy moments behind the wheel, like he had too usually at the beginning of the season, then he’ll proceed to be seen as one of many worst performers on the grid.

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