PEDRO DE LA ROSA SEES A DIFFERENT LANCE STROLL
Lance Stroll has spent years facing questions over his place in Formula 1, but Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa believes the Canadian possesses far more raw ability than his results suggest.
Stroll has been heavily criticised throughout his career, with his position at Aston Martin inevitably attracting additional scrutiny because his father, Lawrence Stroll, owns the team. Yet de la Rosa believes there is compelling evidence within Stroll’s driving data that points to a driver capable of extraordinary performance in the right circumstances.
In fact, the former F1 driver believes Stroll can be “unbeatable” in many corners when his strengths are properly understood.
STROLL’S RESULTS DO NOT TELL THE WHOLE STORY
On paper, Stroll’s statistics provide plenty of ammunition for his critics. Despite having made more than 200 Grand Prix starts, the Canadian has collected only three podium finishes.
His recent points record has also been modest, with just 57 points since the beginning of 2024. Those numbers make it easy to question whether he has fulfilled the potential expected from a driver who has spent so many seasons on the F1 grid.
However, de la Rosa’s argument is that raw results cannot always reveal what a driver is capable of extracting from a car.
And that distinction becomes particularly important when examining Aston Martin’s machinery in 2026.
ASTON MARTIN’S AMR26 HAS LEFT STROLL WITH A HUGE DISADVANTAGE
Aston Martin has endured one of its most difficult campaigns, with the AMR26 and Honda power unit combination struggling dramatically for performance.
The car has reportedly been as much as five seconds away from the pace in qualifying at certain points this season. That makes direct comparisons between Stroll and the front-running drivers extremely difficult because the Canadian is operating with a major performance deficit.
Stroll has also been outperformed by Fernando Alonso overall, although he finally ended the Spaniard’s remarkable 42-race qualifying streak in Barcelona.
That result demonstrated that Stroll can still produce an exceptional weekend when the circumstances allow him to extract the necessary performance from the car.
THE DATA COULD CHANGE THE PERCEPTION OF STROLL
This is where de la Rosa’s assessment becomes particularly interesting.
Rather than judging Stroll exclusively through championship points and qualifying statistics, Aston Martin’s analysis of his corner-by-corner performance apparently reveals areas where the Canadian is exceptionally strong.
A driver does not need to dominate every section of a lap to demonstrate elite ability. Being able to consistently outperform a teammate through particular corners can reveal strengths in braking, minimum-corner speed, throttle application or car rotation that are not necessarily visible from the final lap time.
That appears to be what de la Rosa is pointing toward when describing Stroll’s potential.
THE BIG QUESTION IS WHETHER STROLL CAN TURN SPEED INTO RESULTS
The problem for Stroll is that F1 careers are ultimately measured by results.
Having the ability to be outstanding through certain corners is valuable, but a driver must combine those strengths across an entire lap, qualify consistently, manage tyres and convert opportunities into points.
That is where Stroll still has something to prove.
His supporters can point to the difficult Aston Martin machinery as a major explanation for his struggles, while his critics will argue that his long career provides enough evidence to demand greater consistency.
Both sides can find something in the data.
2026 COULD BECOME A DEFINING TEST
For Stroll, the most important development will be whether Aston Martin can eventually give him a car that allows his underlying strengths to become visible on the timing screens.
If the team’s performance improves and Stroll suddenly begins producing regular qualifying and race results, de la Rosa’s assessment will look increasingly significant.
But if the machinery improves and the results still fail to arrive, the questions surrounding his long-term F1 future will become even louder.
For now, one of Aston Martin’s most experienced voices is offering a very different verdict from the public narrative: the numbers may not show an elite F1 driver yet, but the data suggests there is considerably more talent inside Lance Stroll than his statistics reveal.
