(Motorsport-Total.com) – After his much-discussed radio message at the Canadian Grand Prix, Lance Stroll explained what was behind his statement. The Aston Martin driver had said during the race that he was “only driving for the mechanics” and his father Lawrence. Now the Canadian describes why this particular thought motivated him in a frustrating race.
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The radio message came after race engineer Gary Gannon informed Stroll about the gap to the next competitor. At that point, the Canadian was hardly interested in the position battles anymore.
“I’m finishing the race for the mechanics. That’s all,” Stroll explained. When Gannon replied, “I completely understand, Lance,” the Aston Martin driver added: “… and Lawrence. I’m finishing the race for the mechanics and Lawrence. That’s all.”
Stroll: “You have to find some motivation”
When asked, Stroll explained that in such a difficult race, it was mainly about maintaining motivation at all.
“We have been extremely slow all year,” says Stroll. “Canada was one of those races where we were by far the slowest car. In moments like that, as a driver, you just hang in there and it’s not much fun. Then you have to find some motivation in the cockpit.”
That’s why he thought of the people who had put a lot of work into the project.
“Of course, I thought of the mechanics who worked many long hours. And of Lawrence, who built this team, got everything going in Silverstone, and stands behind this project with great passion. I needed this little motivation to keep going lap after lap, even though we probably already had four or five laps down. These are difficult times for us.”
Difficult phase for the entire team
Aston Martin is currently in tenth place in the constructors’ championship with only one world championship point. Only Cadillac is behind them. For the team from Silverstone, it is the weakest start to the season since the project began in 2021.
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Stroll emphasizes that the difficult situation affects the entire team. “This is not just about us drivers. The engineers also work every day in the factory between races. The mechanics work long days at the track because they love this sport.”
“It is a difficult phase for the entire team. But I have no doubt that we can be a great team. We have excellent staff and great facilities. At the moment, we are not where we want to be, but I am convinced that we will get there,” Stroll continued.
Big update instead of small development steps
The difficult sporting situation is also reflected in the team’s development strategy. Unlike many competitors, Aston Martin is currently hardly developing the current car further. Instead, the team is focusing on a comprehensive update package that is expected to debut during the summer.
“When we sat down and thought about how to proceed best, we concluded that it makes sense to wait for the big package, which should come in Hungary, Zandvoort, or at one of the races in that period,” explains Stroll.
Whether this succeeds, however, will have to be shown by the upcoming races, because “at the moment we are far behind. Small development steps will hardly make a difference if we are four seconds behind the leading cars. Therefore, we need a big update,” Stroll continued.
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