'Unhappy’ Lance Stroll observation made after ‘stupid brain fart’
Guenther Steiner believes Lance Stroll is "unhappy" and does not want to be an F1 driver.
Former Haas boss Guenther Steiner has questioned whether Lance Stroll actually wants to be an F1 driver, noting he seems “unhappy”.
Stroll endured a disastrous Sao Paulo Grand Prix and was unable to take the start following a blunder on the formation lap which saw the Aston Martin driver crash out.
During his attempts to recover from a spin at Turn 4, Stroll suffered an embarrassing gaffe as he drove into the gravel and beached his car.
Steiner, who served as Haas’ team principal until the end of 2023, labelled the Canadian’s error as a “brain fart”.
“The pressure got to him,” Steiner told the Red Flags podcast. “He knew he did something stupid on the formation lap and then just didn’t take control anymore of what he was doing.
“I think he panicked. In situations when the world is looking at you, you’re always critiqued, you do something stupid on the formation [lap]. What to do next? Something more stupid. It’s just like a brain fart.”
Analysing Stroll’s recent body language and demeanour, Steiner suggested the 26-year-old “never looks happy”.
“He never seems to be happy, whatever happens,” Steiner added.
“So would he be a World Champion if he would be happy? I don’t know about that one because some people can be good when even they’re unhappy.
“We think he’s unhappy and maybe it’s just his expression.
“I think a lot of people critique him: ‘He’s such a bad driver. He’s just there because daddy has the team.’
“But put it this way: if daddy wouldn’t have a team, I don’t think Lance would be a Formula 1 driver, because he doesn’t want to be one.”
Stroll sits 13th in the drivers’ championship on 24 points, 38 behind Aston Martin teammate and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.
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