Rumor: Lance Stroll may quit F1 to play tennis (Update)

This rumor is downgraded to ‘false’ today.

Lance Stroll has lashed back at reports suggesting he may hang up his helmet and attempt to launch a professional tennis career instead.

Stroll, the 24-year-old son of Aston Martin owner and billionaire Lawrence Stroll, has been comprehensively outshone by new team recruit Fernando Alonso, 42, this season.

And, over the recent summer break, wild rumors emerged suggesting that as other recent stragglers Nicholas Latifi and Nyck de Vries head to university, Stroll might instead pick up a tennis racquet.

“Yeah, I heard about them,” Stroll was quoted by the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti after the Dutch GP – where he finished 11th and out of the points while Alonso chased home dominant race winner Max Verstappen.

“I couldn’t help but shake my head. They make no sense,” he insisted.

Stroll says he thinks the rumour was started by British Sky commentator David Croft.

“Look, I don’t know how he came up with that – maybe he had a few too many. But I’ll be there next year. I’m not ending my career,” he added.

(GMM) Amid rumors of a switch to Tennis, eyebrows were raised in the Zandvoort paddock on Thursday when Lance Stroll bowed out of his media duties.

A Le Journal de Montreal correspondent spotted the Canadian with a bandage beneath his ear, as Aston Martin explained that Stroll skipped speaking to the press because he is “recovering from an infection”.

“He is fit and well and will compete at this weekend’s Dutch GP,” the team added.

But writing for Auto Bild, correspondent Bianca Garloff said Aston Martin’s statement was “badly timed” because it coincided with Stroll, 24, “dashing full of energy into the paddock on a scooter for the technical briefing”.

Some wondered if Stroll was merely being offered a favor by the team owned by his billionaire father Lawrence amid sensational rumors he may be considering a switch to tennis.

Ben Anderson, an authoritative voice in the F1 journalism circle, ignited rumors about Stroll’s career trajectory. Featuring on The Race F1 podcast, Anderson shed light on the possibility of Stroll:

“[Stroll] is too far behind Alonso but, really, he’s only likely to leave that team voluntarily – he’s on a rolling contract in his dad’s organization,” he said.

“There’s been some rumors floating around that he’s considering a switch to tennis, so if he makes a career switch like that, that opens up the seat.”

Technical boss Dan Fallows defended Lance.

“Taking into consideration the injuries Lance suffered during his preseason cycling accident and his recovery, he has performed very well alongside a great teammate,” he said.

Stroll has been completely overshadowed by team newcomer and 42-year-old two-time champion Fernando Alonso in 2023 so far.

“I think if Stroll continues like this, at some point his father will not be able to avoid having to worry about the second cockpit,” former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher told formel1.de.

Elsewhere in the Zandvoort paddock, Alonso was asked about his recent claim that Formula 1 is not the most “pure” form of motorsport.

“I think here is a little bit different than elsewhere,” he said. “A little bit more politics involved, obviously the importance of the package and the car and the input from a driver is a little bit limited, things like that.”