Villeneuve urges Stroll to win over media: ‘You must be liked’
Jacques Villeneuve believes that it's important that Lance Stroll “improves his appeal” with the media in F1, not just for public relations but also for performance reasons.
Stroll endured a difficult 2024 season, managing just 24 points compared to his teammate Fernando Alonso's 70.
The Canadian's struggles were particularly prominent in the latter half of the year, when he failed to score a single top-ten finish in the final 11 rounds of the season.
Stroll's campaign hit a nadir at the São Paulo Grand Prix, where a spin on the formation lap left him beached in the gravel and unable to start the race.
Such performances and setbacks have fueled ongoing criticism of Stroll's place in Formula 1, with questions often directed at his father, Lawrence Stroll, the owner of Aston Martin.
Many in the paddock and beyond argue that his seat is more a product of nepotism than merit. Amid this scrutiny, Villeneuve has offered his advice on how his countryman might change the narrative.
Villeneuve: “Lance Must Be Liked to Succeed”
The 1997 Formula 1 World Champion believes Stroll suffers from a lack of connection with the media and fans.
Villeneuve emphasized how being “liked” in Formula 1 creates a positive atmosphere around a driver, enhancing relationships with team members and unlocking greater potential.
"Does Lance need to improve his persona? It's important to be liked in this industry," Villeneuve told Spin Casino. "If you win every race like Verstappen, you can maybe be liked a little bit less.
"But at some point it comes back to bite you. When you're liked, you end up going faster because everyone behind you is pushing you, helping you.
"The same thing happens with the mechanics. It's a general energy. So, it is important that Lance improves his appeal in the media."
Krack Defends Stroll: “The Perception is Wrong”
In contrast, Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has taken issue with how Stroll is perceived, arguing that the media has unfairly painted a distorted picture of his driver.
Krack highlighted Stroll's relatively small performance gap to Alonso as evidence of his competence.
“Is Lance treated unfairly? Yes, big time,” Krack told Crash.net . “First of all, if you look at the gap that he has to his teammate, who is one of the best of all time, it's very small.
“We have someone who is very serious about car development, simulator driving, being fit, and being constructive in the meetings. He is judged mainly on the delivery of media duties.
He's a racing driver and for me, a racing driver has to drive in the first place.
“Now we also know that Formula 1 has evolved, there is a lot of exposure and media duties and commitments. “I think that is something people really put the focus on.”
Krack further emphasized that Stroll's struggles were more related to the tools provided to him rather than a lack of ability.
“Where we fall foul is just delivering the tools and the machine to both drivers to deliver that,” he added.
Stroll's Passion Behind the Scenes
Another criticism Stroll has faced relates to his perceived lack of passion for Formula 1. However, Krack dismissed such claims, pointing to the Canadian's request for additional testing during a break late in 2024 as evidence of his commitment.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” Krack affirmed when asked if Stroll's passion is evident.
“When we had the three-week break recently and I had Lance on the phone asking if we could organize some driving somehow in an old car, because he wants to drive.
“So that's the difference. It's a sport with no testing and we have someone who loves driving.
“It's very unfair when you read some of the comments and they are often written without much research, because it suits the public opinion, let's write that and we can fill some lines.
“There is a really skewed picture.
“You have that in every sport, you have the bad guys, the good guys, you have the drawer to fill and Formula 1 is the same.”
As Lance Stroll heads into the 2025 season with a renewed contract, the debate over his image and performance will undoubtedly continue.
For Villeneuve, improving his appeal in the media could help Stroll tap into unseen potential. For Krack, the focus should remain on delivering the right tools to a driver he sees as unfairly maligned.
Stroll can rewrite the narrative surrounding his career may ultimately depend on balancing both perspectives: enhancing his public persona while continuing to demonstrate his passion and skill on track.
For now, the Canadian remains a polarizing figure in a sport where perception and reality are often at odds.
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