Opinion | Without his money Stroll would have been long gone from Formula 1

Lance Stroll was quite disappointing during qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix. The Aston Martin driver did not manage to beat the suddenly called upon Nico Hulkenberg on Saturday afternoon. The Canadian finished nineteenth, a hefty disappointment.

From the first moment Stroll entered Formula 1, there was an awful lot of criticism. He entered Williams in 2017 and had a very difficult first two years. Nevertheless, he made the switch to Racing Point in 2019, when his father Lawrence took over the ailing team, bringing his son with him.

Stroll improved over the years, but he has never been consistent or overly spectacular. The still only 23-year-old driver makes enough mistakes that you'd expect he wouldn't be making them by now. We would almost forget it, but Stroll is now in his sixth year in Formula 1. Only nine drivers on the current grid have more F1 experience than Stroll, but he still struggles to excel.

Lots of experience, few achievements

With all due respect to Hulkenberg, if Stroll can't beat him given the circumstances, maybe he should think about himself. Teams in the premier class of motorsport (such as Alfa Romeo, Haas F1 and Williams) ignored the experienced German when they were looking for a driver last winter. Hulkenberg, of course, has proven to be an excellent substitute driver who can perform excellently without preparation time, but from Stroll you expect a little more.

It raises the question whether Formula 1 is not just a tad too high for Stroll. Yet he has also proven that he is capable of great things. He has been on the podium three times already, so he has had high points. He has talent, but enough?

What do you think of this statement: without the money from his father Lawrence, Lance Stroll would have been long gone from Formula 1. Let your voice be heard in the poll and in the comment section!