Sometimes, press talks in the paddock can make you itch with frustration. This is often because the message being conveyed is so obviously spun by the media department, and it’s conveniently assumed that journalists will uncritically accept everything.
On Thursday in Montreal, Aston Martin team boss Andy Cowell took a seat at the table in a small setting. Naturally, the team of billionaire Lawrence Stroll had anticipated that there might be critical questions about alleged misconduct by Lance Stroll, so Cowell was briefed. He was asked to convey that Stroll is a professional and determined driver. Cowell did so with gusto, but his story wasn’t really credible. It was more laughable.
The owner’s son had called in sick two weeks ago on the eve of the Spanish GP in Barcelona, officially due to recurring wrist problems. He had previously broken it in 2023 after falling off his mountain bike.
According to the team, Lance Stroll, who is making his comeback at his home race in Montreal this weekend, had been suffering from wrist pain for several weeks leading up to Barcelona. However, Stroll’s actual withdrawal seemed hasty and only happened after the (disappointing) qualifying on Saturday, meaning no replacement could take the wheel during the race. This sequence of events led to a lot of speculation in the paddock.
Rumours circulated that after his elimination in Q2 of the qualifying, junior Stroll had a tantrum in the Aston Martin garage and angrily threw objects around. It was also suggested that team members were not aware that Stroll had been suffering from wrist pain for several weeks. The driver himself had not mentioned it at all in the run-up to the Spanish GP.
So, Aston Martin was prepared for critical questions in Montreal. Cowell invoked medical privacy to avoid revealing too much information about the nature of Stroll’s injury. But what he could say was that Lance Stroll is extremely professional and determined. And he did. Repeatedly. The Aston Martin press officer stood by, occasionally ticking off a note in his notebook, and nodded in satisfaction. He, at least, was satisfied.
