Are F1 drivers being silenced like Lance Stroll said?

The media session with the written press for Lance Stroll is—where possible—always scheduled by Aston Martin after Fernando Alonso’s. The Spaniard’s hospitality is packed, and if Stroll sits down afterward, at least a group will still remain. If it’s just Lance’s session, attendance is often much lower. This time, those who stayed for Lance’s session didn’t regret it.

Stroll is an enigma for media. Very often he slouches in his chair and gives short, uninterested answers. Yet there are flashes from Stroll that make you, as a journalist, want to hang around. Thursday in Miami was one of those days again, where the Canadian was one of the few drivers to truly speak his mind.

Stroll was brutally honest about the current generation of F1 cars. In his view, they are fundamentally flawed, meaning the small fixes proposed now won’t change anything. The cars are destroying racing and F1 is no longer fun. Not statements that haven’t been made by colleagues before, but one line stood out.

In an aside, Stroll said that some drivers can speak out, but others are contractually bound not to. And in the paddock you get the feeling what Lance means. Drivers seem to focus on the fact that at least positive discussions have been held with the FIA and the F1.

But that the drivers all agree on the problems with these regulations is clear. In the paddock it also became very clear that the drivers don't think the changes are good enough. They still have to lift and cost and use superclipping, which makes the racing and especially the qualifying very unnatural. A quick solution is not at hand, as the core of these rules is set in stone untill 2029.

On top of that, all of this could have been prevented—something Max Verstappen also pointed out in Miami. If drivers had been listened to earlier, the regulations wouldn’t have such fundamental flaws. It’s good that they’re being heard now, but the first serious changes can only be made in 2030. Formula 1 thus finds itself in an extremely difficult position. It’s stuck for four years with these cars and engines, which drivers and part of the fanbase are clearly unhappy with. Slapping on band-aids by tweaking the rules will help a bit, but the question is how much as many involved doubt if the effect will be visible on track.

The most painful thing for F1 remains that most drivers express their love for other classes. Who would have thought ten years ago that Formula 1 drivers would talk with a twinkle in their eyes about the Nordschleife? About doing the 24-hour race like Verstappen. It’s a good sign for GT racing, a very bad one for F1. For drivers, F1 racing is becoming less and less the pinnacle of the sport. If F1 wants to keep the best drivers, it will have to implement a significant course correction. Unfortunately, that’s one that will take at least five years.