Mar
Lance Stroll has gained attention thus far in 2023 after recovering from a preseason bicycling injury and winning with Aston Martin in Bahrain. Damon Hill and others think that the Canadian mindset has evolved over time.
Damon Hill thinks that over the wintertime, Lance Stroll underwent a “noticeable” change, to which a variety of factors may have contributed.
The Canadian had to skip pre-season practice after suffering wrist and toe injuries in a bike crash, but he made up for it at Bahrain’s first race with a points-scoring P6 result.
The journalist Tom Clarkson, who moderates the F1 racer press conferences during race weekends, believes that Stroll has changed how he speaks to the media as a result of spending time with the Netflix production team for Drive to Survive. Stroll has also revealed his recovery experience with his followers.
Stroll had a “significant change”
On the F1 Nation podcast, Clarkson remarked, “I think he is a far more engaging interview now than he has been in the past.
“I’ve always felt in the past that he resents doing the media work whereas, this year, I’ve seen a marked change.
“I do wonder whether it’s got anything to do with the Netflix cameras, who went over the winter to Canada with him and spent a lot of time, and I’m told that he really enjoyed being with them.
“Now when you speak to him, he smiles at you, he answers your questions fully. It’s almost as if, a bit like [Fernando] Alonso in a way, he wants to be liked.
“He’s almost thinking of legacy and, instead of swimming against the current, why not swim with it occasionally and have an easier ride?”
Alonso’s influence
Hill noticed a change in Stroll as well and wondered whether being paired with Alonso had anything to do with it.
“It is very noticeable that he’s come out of his shell and is keen to engage, so some vibe has changed over the winter,” Hill commented.
“Maybe it’s the spring in the step they’ve got with this car, and being with Fernando. Maybe Fernando has given him some tips as well, because he was really bigging him up after Saudi. He’s probably never had that before.”
Natalie Pinkham, a fellow F1 presenter, thinks Stroll has benefited from Alonso’s presence at Aston Martin.
“It’s important to remember, they’re at the opposite ends of their career,” Pinkham said.
“Lance isn’t that young anymore, it’s actually amazing to think how experienced he is. But Fernando I feel is sort of taking him under his wing in a very non-threatening way.
“He’s not coming in and saying, ‘I’m going to be your team leader’. He said, ‘I’m hopefully going to impart some knowledge and experience that you can benefit from’, and it feels like they don’t feel threatened by one another.
“They’re just growing together and bringing the team with them.”
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