'Lance Stroll deserves his place in Formula One and is on the same level as Alonso'
- Ludo van Denderen
Since his entry into Formula 1, Lance Stroll has constantly been under a magnifying glass. Whenever there is the slightest reason to do so, the Canadian seems to be criticised. Although Stroll's qualities are sometimes doubted, especially on social media, there is a former world champion who actually praises Stroll. His name is Jacques Villeneuve.
Villeneuve is known for never mincing his words. If bad is bad, the Canadian dares to say so. If something is good, the former champion is also honest enough to say so. Yes, Villeneuve realises Stroll is in Formula 1 because father Lawrence bought the Aston Martin team. But: "Of course, he deserves to be there. Aston Martin’s team could have gone bankrupt if not for Lawrence Stroll, so he deserves to employ his son and keep him in F1, it’s simple."
'Stroll as fast as Alonso'
Certainly this season Stroll is driving creditably. Indeed, Villeneuve sees him performing excellently. "Lance isn’t running last and off the pace, he’s matching Fernando Alonso’s level. The minute Alonso re-signed with the team, he has struggled and Lance has looked the better driver since," Stroll's compatriot told Instantcasino.
Villeneuve points out that in the past, more drivers entered F1 because they came from a wealthy family and thus had an advantage over other drivers. For example, the Canadian mentions Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda and Lando Norris. "Lance is lucky, but there’s nothing wrong with that and he needs to show he can race fast," he concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sarkozi