Lance Stroll says his father’s wealth has long been an issue for others in his motorsport career, but maintains he has learned to live with the criticism.
Son of billionaire Lawrence, who made his fortune in high-end fashion, Stroll junior has never lacked for financial support in his journey to Formula 1.
After winning the 2016 Formula 3 European championship, Stroll debuted in F1 with Williams in 2017, before moving to Racing Point (formerly Force India) in 2019 after his father bought the team.
Partnered at Racing Point with Sergio Perez, Stroll has generally been outshone by the Mexican, but will retain his seat while Perez is jettisoned for Sebastian Vettel next year.
As a result the criticism has only gotten louder, but Stroll says it doesn’t get to him.
“Formula 1 is extremely expensive,” he told the BBC. “There have been a lot of drivers with plenty of talent that never had that financial support, and unfortunately never made it – that is sad but that’s the sport we’re in.
“This has been what it’s like from the start. Even when I was karting I would get bullied for my background – just like picked on, people saying I had an easy ride. I got used to that at a young age. I’ve always thought to myself that I’m just going to do my talking on the track.”
A true motorsport fan who would wake up on a Sunday morning back in Canada and turn on the Formula 1 races”, Stroll stresses he is not asking for sympathy, but just wants to be judged for his performances on track, and not the size of his father’s bank account.
“When we’re sitting on the grid and we have our helmets on, it doesn’t matter where you come from, or how much money you have,” he explains. “It’s all about driving the car the best. I love to take that criticism and prove people wrong.”