F1 team owner told to fire his son or risk plan blowing up in his face

F1 team owner Lawrence Stroll has been told to fire his son Lance Stroll if he wants to turn Aston Martin into a success story. Stroll Jnr joined the Silverstone outfit in 2021 but has struggled to match the output of his team-mate Fernando Alonso since the Spaniard arrived in 2023.

Stroll Snr led a consortium of investors in their acquisition of the F1 team when they were known as Force India. The Canadian businessman rebranded the team as Racing Point before the outfit switched to their current name following his purchase of a 16.7 per cent stake in Aston Martin in 2020. Aston Martin are currently sixth in the Constructors' Championship standings, but have been unable to secure a podium finish all season.

Alonso, who won back-to-back world titles in 2005 and 2006, finished well ahead of Stroll in the Drivers' Championship during his first two seasons with Aston Martin.

The pair have each secured 26 points for their team this year and are midway down the standings.

But Alonso has continued to dominate his team-mate in qualifying sessions and appears to be the stronger of the two drivers.

And former F1 star Ralf Schumacher offered his advice to the Aston Martin owner during an interview with Bild Sport.

"If he really wants to become world champion, he has to fire his son. Lance's 27-0 qualifying loss to his team-mate Fernando Alonso says it all.

"The father has to decide - instinct or success. If he's serious, he'll have to completely rethink the driver lineup for 2026. I think he knows that, but the decision is difficult for him."

Stroll Jnr has come under fire at times this year and hit the headlines at the start of June after reportedly having a meltdown in the Aston Martin garage at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The 26-year-old was said to be "experiencing pain in his hand and wrist" after allegedly breaking things and swearing at team members, although the two issues were said to be unrelated.

He was forced to withdraw from the Grand Prix, with a team spokesperson telling the BBC at the time: "Lance was upset."

A few weeks later, Sky Sports Germany reporter Peter Hardenacke then claimed Aston Martin had refused to sanction a one-on-one interview with the Canadian in his homeland.

"Also for the Canadian Grand Prix, that request was made. It was declined," Hardenacke told the Boxengasse podcast. "And then you have to accept that people talk about you. That's not insulting or hurting someone, those are objective opinions."