Formula 1 W.O.A.T. Special Award: Lance Stroll

This special award was initiated by Paul Velasco, who had at first bought into the idea of a billionaire father securing his son a seat and even believed lil' Stroll showed promise early on, particularly during the Racing Point era.

Instead of improving, Stroll’s form has declined sharply, highlighted by an extended run of heavy qualifying defeats to significantly older teammates and what is described as his worst season yet. Stroll has overstayed his welcome, occupying a seat that more deserving drivers could use.

Jad Mallak agrees, and emphasises attitude as the core issue, describing Stroll as entitled, disengaged, and dismissive of both the opportunity and the media. Both conclude that Formula 1 should showcase the world’s best drivers, and Stroll falls short on merit, professionalism, and respect for the sport, cementing his unwanted legacy.

Paul Velasco: "This is a special award. Triggered for obvious reasons, Formula 1's Worst of All Time driver, aka The W.O.A.T. goes to Lance Stroll. We cannot think of a worse driver in our sport's history.

"I actually liked the idea of a billionaire buying everything to get his son into Formula 1. I would have done the same. And at one stage, it looked like the son was going to do alright in the pink Mercedes days. But he hasn’t improved. He’s gotten worse and worse. I resigned as 'president' of the Lance Stroll 'fan club' because he became indefensible.

"How do you defend a guy who’s lost over thirty qualifying sessions in a row to a teammate who’s 17 years older? How do you justify keeping him on the grid? This was possibly his worst year of driving. He’s overstayed his welcome in Formula 1 by a long margin. Many drivers could have done a better job. Felipe Drugovich even Stoffel Vandoorne deserved a chance. Others deserve a chance.

"I believe if Lance doesn’t get it together, he’ll walk after 2026 when he realises he’s not a good Formula 1 driver, and he’ll leave with the legacy of being the worst of all time. Hence this award."

Jad Mallak: "I agree. It’s the first time we’re doing this award, and he’s well deserving of it. We can talk all day about how bad his driving is, but what really annoys me is his attitude. He feels entitled.

"What annoys me most about Lance Stroll is how entitled he feels. It’s like it’s a given that he should be in that car. For him, it’s like a stroll in the park, pardon the pun. He comes in, drives the car around, has some fun, and goes home.

"And at some point, his antics on the track are dangerous. Then there’s the attitude. Whenever you listen to him after a race or a session, he cannot be bothered. It’s like we should be grateful to be listening to King Lance. No.

"We’ve had bad drivers in the sport before, but most show some responsibility. Lance doesn’t. It’s like, 'I’ll come every weekend, drive badly, and no one can say anything because my father owns the team'.

"That’s atrocious. Formula 1 is supposed to have the 20 best drivers in the world. Arduably it has 19, and then it has Lance Stroll. That’s the problem.

"You can be a bad driver, but at least appreciate the opportunity. Others would kill to be in that seat. He doesn’t care, and he doesn’t even speak to the media with respect. So yes, I’m glad we came up with this award. He’s the first to get it. Let’s see if anyone is ever worse."

PV: "I doubt it. Lance has everything he could ever want. A father who spent more than any human to try to see his son excel in a sport. Billionaire many times over. Formula 1 seat. At the very least, smile and be thankful. Lose the entitlement. Even if you’re no Max Verstappen, you can still be cool. But the attitude is totally wrong. As if the bloke swallows sour limes before he goes in public.

"He was given the dream that every male with petrol in his veins would want, and he is sh!tt!ng on it. Shame on him. And back to the headline: Try to think of a driver worse than Lance Stroll with over 100 starts to his name... You can't because he is the Formula 1 W.O.A.T."