Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack believes Lance Stroll is being “unfairly treated” given the complaint made against him.
Stroll has been criticized for his performance alongside two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, but Krack explained that there was actually a “very small” gap between them.
Stroll has been overqualified and dominated by Alonso throughout the season, with Aston Martin enjoying a less competitive 2024 crusade compared to its 2023 podiums.
The trouble tally leans heavily in Alonso’s favor over his two seasons as a teammate to date, with the Spaniard scoring 296 points to Stroll’s 98, despite having great merit in the head-to-head standings.
But given Alonso’s widely identified prestige as one of the sport’s all-time greats, Aston Martin team principal Krack explained that there is a belief in his driving force based on his interactions with the media, as well as the fact that his functionality largely matches that of an engine of Alonso’s stature.
“Is Lance treated unfairly? Yes, big time,” Krack told Crash.net.
“First of all, if you look at the gap that he has to his team-mate, who is one of the best of all time, it’s very small.
“We have someone who is very serious about car development, simulator driving, being fit and being constructive in the meetings.
“He is judged mainly on the delivery of media duties. He’s a racing driver and for me a racing driver has to drive in the first place.
? Five reasons why the loan of the Aston Martin to Adrian Newey makes so much sense
? Adrian Newey: All you need to know about his sensational Aston Martin move
“Now we also know that Formula 1 has evolved, there is a lot of exposure, assignments and media commitments. I think that is something that other people have focused on. “
“What we do as a team, and this is especially the focus, is the gap to the one of the best of all time. He’s very competitive. Where we fall foul is just delivering the tools and the machine to both drivers to deliver that.”
Questions had also been raised about Stroll’s commitment to Formula 1 this season, before it was announced he signed a new contract for “2025 and beyond” that secured his future on the grid.
Krack, however, decided to quash any theories about a lack of interest in the sport, adding that there was an aspect of the Canadian that the public does not see, revealing a request from Stroll for additional testing in late 2024.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” he responded when asked if he could see Stroll’s hobby for the sport.
“When we had the three-week break recently and I had Lance on the phone asking if we could organise some driving somehow in an old car, because he wants to drive. So that’s the difference. It’s a sport with no testing and we have someone who loves driving.
“It’s very unfair when you read some of the comments and they are often written without much research, because it suits the public opinion, let’s write that and we can fill some lines. There is a really skewed picture.
“You have that in every sport, you have the bad guys, the good guys, you have the drawer to fill and Formula 1 is the same.”
Read next: FIA steward makes Lando Norris demand in ‘no lingering animosity’ Verstappen camp denial