Formula 1: 3 possible replacements for Lance Stroll in 2024
By Asher Fair
Lance Stroll’s future in Formula 1 is in doubt following his Qatar outburst and rumors of his father Lawrence selling his shares in Aston Martin.
Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin Formula 1 contract has never officially had an end date, largely due to the fact that his father Lawrence owns the team and thus Lance is effectively believed to be able to stick around for as long as he wants to.
But amid a disastrous Qatar Grand Prix weekend, Jacques Villeneuve and an unnamed Formula 1 insider recently detailed two very telling stories about Stroll’s attitude toward motorsport as a whole.
The former recalled that Lance would take a helicopter to go to a go-kart track his billionaire father built for him, even though it was only about a 15-minute walk from his house, and the latter recalled how totally disinterested Lance was, especially compared to his father, on a Formula 1 factory tour.
The common belief seems to be that Lawrence is attempting to live out his own Formula 1 dream through his son, and that simply hasn’t happened.
The younger Stroll has been drastically outperformed by Fernando Alonso this year in their first season as teammates, following several seasons of being beaten by others, and there are rumors that Lawrence could be looking to sell his shares in the team.
Things came to a head in Qatar, with Stroll throwing his steering wheel out of the car following yet another Q1 exit and then proceeding to shove his trainer after getting out of the car. Later on, the pay driver totally disrespected a Sky Sports reporter with three consecutive snarky remarks, including one NSFW.
If Stroll does not return to Aston Martin in 2024, who will replace him?
Possible Lance Stroll replacements: No. 1 – Felipe Drugovich
The obvious option has to be Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich, who was left out of Formula 1 in 2023 largely due to a lack of funding despite dominating the 2022 Formula 2 season and winning the championship.
Drugovich, who also won the 2018 Euroformula Open Championship, was linked to a potential IndyCar seat for both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, but with nothing having come to fruition, it is rather evident that he still has his sights set on competing in Formula 1.
The 2024 season might be his best bet. Even during the 2023 season, there have been calls for Aston Martin to put the 23-year-old Brazilian in the AMR23 amid Stroll’s ongoing struggles, and his outburst in Qatar has amplified those calls. If Lawrence sells the team, is the addition of Drugovich a sure thing?