Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert believes the time is approaching for Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll to have a chat with his son Lance.
The Canadian driver is on a contract with Aston Martin that publicly hasn’t been confirmed as having a set end date, with his father Lawrence owning the Silverstone-based outfit after purchasing the former Force India squad back in 2018.
The team were rebranded to Aston Martin for 2021 as Stroll also took a significant stake in the British car manufacturer, while the team also signed four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel alongside Stroll junior.
Aston Martin have scored 16 points in 2022 so far, with 13 of those points scored by Vettel despite missing the first two races due to a bout with COVID-19.
Stroll has scored three separate points finishes, with the Canadian finishing 10th at the Emilia Romagna and Miami Grands Prix before a strong drive last time out at his home race in Montreal.
With Aston Martin loitering at the tail end of the Constructors’ Championship down in eighth place, Sky F1 broadcaster Johnny Herbert believes the team have to make better use of their machinery – this will involve a tough conversation between Lawrence and Lance Stroll, as Herbert reckons it’s time for a different driver to be given the keys to the AMR22.
“Lance has had a bit of a difficult time of late,” the former Grand Prix winner said on the F1 Nation podcast.
“I sometimes think there is a certain time that, if it doesn’t quite happen, Lawrence has got to go ‘son, I’ve given you a chance. It isn’t quite working out, and I’ve got to do what’s right for the team’.
“I think there will be a point that’s going to happen.
“I don’t exactly know when that will be, but it’s down to Lance actually to do the job that he needs to do and consistently do that job. At the moment, it’s a little bit scrappy.”
Aston Martin are rolling out another significant update to the AMR22 for this weekend’s British Grand Prix, following on from the changes made at last month’s Spanish Grand Prix. Stroll himself has admitted to not feeling completely comfortable with the car, which he is working hard on to rectify.
“We’re always learning but I think, just on my side, I want to get into a better more comfortable place with the car,” he said.
“I still feel like I’m not really that confident in the car and feeling very precise, and just predictable in the car.
“I think I’ve still got to keep working to get back to the place that felt like I was in last year, or the year before, where it was just more predictable and more comfortable.
“And, right now, it’s still a little bit just difficult for me. And, yeah, I’ve got to keep working with my engineers to try and sort that out.”
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