According to Jarno Opmeer, Lance Stroll is not the type of driver you expect to see in F1 today.
Lance Stroll once again made headlines during the last F1 Grand Prix. Indeed, after crashing his car in qualifying, he ended up in a gravel trap during the formation lap.
At turn 4, when putting his foot on the brake pedal, Lance Stroll lost control of his car and hit the wall. Luckily, the Canadian only slightly damaged his Aston Martin and attempted to rejoin the track to line up on the starting grid.
“As soon as I touched the brake I had a huge rear lock and I was a passenger from then on ”, explained the Canadian. “I've never felt this in the car, so there may have been a braking problem and we need to look into it. In a race like this anything is possible, so going out on the first lap is a real shame, but we have to look at what happened ”.
Also read: Lance Stroll tried to explain why he got stuck in the tank
But against all odds, Lance Stroll decided to rejoin the track, not by taking the asphalt strip provided for this purpose, but by crossing the gravel trap, saturated with water. Unsurprisingly, the car found itself stuck in the tank, forcing its driver to abandon the race, even before the start.
This new racing event has resurfaced the debates surrounding the Canadian driver and his legitimacy to be in F1. If, since his arrival in the paddock, he has had the image of the paying driver that sticks to him, joining the team owned by his father has not helped anything. After eight seasons in F1, the 26-year-old driver still has one pole position and three podiums.
“I went karting against him ”, Opmeer told Ziggo Sport. “He was not a bad driver, but not a superstar. He's not someone you expect in Formula 1. He's always had these moments where he's incredibly good for two or three races a year. The rest of the time, he's just a pancake.”
Moreover, according to Timo Glock, former F1 driver turned commentator for Sky Deutschland, other drivers would be more deserving of this seat than Lance Stroll.
“I must say it leaves you speechless. There are many, many talented people who would have deserved this place more.”
Read also: Lance Stroll has just achieved a sad record in F1
