As Formula 1 crosses the halfway mark of the 2025 season, few drivers have been as perplexing to watch as Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. Statistically, he’s ahead of his teammate Fernando Alonso in the championship. But scratch the surface, and the story isn’t one of quiet brilliance – it’s one of stagnation.
Despite years of F1 experience and a team mainly built around him, Stroll’s performances continue to raise questions regarding his legitimacy in the sport.
The numbers are painfully subpar
While Alonso ranks below him in the driver standings, Stroll has been outqualified by his teammate every weekend this season. With frequent Q1 exits, the Canadian has an average qualifying position around 16th. Stroll’s average qualifying position of 16.2 is one of the lowest among full-time drivers. It’s not just a matter of the car: Alonso has regularly dragged the same admittedly slow machinery into Q2 or occasionally Q3.
His race results, while slightly better, also paint a picture of unremarkable survival. Stroll has finished ahead of Alonso in just 4 out of 12 races, and while he has scored more total points, the gap between them remains very narrow.
Mid-season highlights
While he unexpectedly outscored his legendary teammate, Fernando Alonso, this season, the lack of consistency remains Stroll’s main issue. Off to a great start in Melbourne, the Canadian secured an impressive P6 in tricky conditions despite having a lowly midfield car. He scored a point again the following weekend in China where he achieved P9 in both Sprint Qualifying and the main event – a solid double points finish. In the Chinese GP, he was elevated to P9 from P12 following the disqualifications of Hamilton, Leclerc, and Gasly. While it’s fair game to benefit from others’ mistakes, it highlights how Stroll’s results have depended on capitalizing on others’ misfortunes.
However, the initially promising stretch has soured for Stroll. The Canadian had an abysmal performance in Japan and finished at the back of the grid after an underwhelmingly slow race. The following eight races, Stroll could not finish in the points, with the exception of Spain in which he did not compete due to wrist pain traced back to his 2023 biking accident. He also stood out in the Miami Sprint, climbing to P6 (then promoted to P5) in a tightly contested race.
Mastering the wet
There is one consistent characteristic of Lance Stroll’s driving this season: his ability to perform in changing conditions. In three out of the four wet weekends, Stroll scored points either in the Sprint race or the Grand Prix of the Australian, Miami and British ones.
But these positive flashes are exceptions in a season where he’s consistently lacked qualifying pace, assertiveness and race craft. He hasn’t made major mistakes – but he also hasn’t made much of an impression.
Lowlights: A familiar pattern of inconsistency
In Monaco, Stroll crashed with the SF-25 of Charles Leclerc in Free Practice 1 thus damaging the Monegasque’s front wing. While the blame falls partly on Stroll’s spatial awareness, as he incorrectly rejoined the racing line just as Leclerc was approaching on a hot lap, Aston Martin’s race engineers also share responsibility for failing to provide timely communication. This effectively ended Stroll session. The Canadian consequently received a one-place grid penalty for the race. Stroll’s struggles persisted at the Canadian GP, where the Aston Martin driver was handed a 10-second time penalty for forcing Pierre Gasly off the track.
Seat with no urgency
Unlike nearly every other driver on the grid, Stroll doesn’t have to fight for his seat at Aston Martin. As the son of team owner Lawrence Stroll, his position is effectively secured, regardless of form. That insulation may help avoid pressure – but it also removes urgency.
There’s little sense that Stroll is in a career-defining year, even if, by most competitive standards, he probably should be. He is dependable at times but lacks the upside that teams crave in this sport. He ultimately replaceable – if only the team were willing.