Aston Martin’s Canadian driver, Lance Stroll, has made a sudden return to the wheel for his Grand Prix after abruptly withdrawing on the eve of the last qualifiers in Spain. However, questions and doubts surrounding him remain unresolved.
For once, he is not slumped on the white couch of the FIA conference. He didn’t even pull out his phone to show his total disinterest in the exercise, but Lance Stroll hasn’t changed. Indeed, the surgery he underwent to heal his troublesome wrist should put him back behind the wheel, but he continues to clash with everything and everyone, unabashedly.
His displayed nonchalance no longer has the insulting character of before, but the Canadian still exhibits this graceless and disrespectful way of mocking everything. Between his return to competition and his return home, his words, though rare, were anticipated, awaited, hoped for. But they were not forthcoming.
Recovered from his hand injury, Lance Stroll will make his return at the Canadian Grand Prix.
A Persistent Refusal to Communicate
The son of the owner of the English racing team has given nothing, as usual. Except for this disdain or boredom that have become his closest companions. Because there is a doubt when we talk about this driver. There is always one. We don’t know what to think of the boy, whether it’s about his motivation, his desire, his passions.
And even about his withdrawal two weeks ago in Spain. Because this injury has resurfaced in a very surprising way. The Canadian had – officially – fallen off his bike two years ago, before the start of the season. The damaged wrist had been repaired since, and he had started the 2023 season without mentioning it again.
“The pain had suddenly seized the driver in Catalonia. Or a bit earlier, if you listen to Stroll, who was asked about the history of this injury, hoping for a bit more than his usual terse responses. “I’ve been in pain for several races,” he told us while chewing his gum. “I decided to have surgery. And it’s fixed.” There was nothing more, which says a lot despite the economy of words. Either he hates dealing with the media, or he’s not happy.
Probably a bit of both. Because that’s how the team is now built. His return to competition was only announced on Thursday afternoon, a few days after a test run at Paul Ricard to test the stubborn wrist. And don’t even think about trying to get an interview with Stroll, harder to get than Max Verstappen. He only speaks when he wants to, and as you’ve understood, he almost never wants to. This refusal to communicate inevitably leaves room for doubt, questioning, and fanciful interpretations.
Was the injury awakened by a fit of rage?
The day after his withdrawal, the BBC revealed that the driver had stormed back into his pit and had been somewhat violent with the garage, whether with the furniture or the mechanics working there. This fit of rage could have been the cause of the untimely awakening of this injury, even though Aston Martin quickly contradicted the article.
On Thursday, the driver did not deny it, answering… without answering. “Yes, I was frustrated. With my wrist, my results, my driving,” he simply said in response to the question of whether he was angry after this qualification.
Since then, in the paddock, the question of whether the man was really happy in the role of a Formula 1 driver has come up in all discussions without a convincing answer being found. Because Stroll, like his father (Lawrence), doesn’t give any. Never. Even when it comes to the most innocuous questions like his first memory of his circuit, that of Montreal. “I’ve been coming here for a long time,” was his only response.
No one dared to ask him if he would still be there next year. Not even the Quebecers, who came in large numbers this weekend. Because they now know their man. Or because they don’t care about his future.”
