After contract negotiations that seemed endless, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes finally announced their continuing partnership on Thursday. With the announcement of the two-year deal worth a whopping $127 million, it seemed as though this news would dominate headlines for at least as long as the negotiations were prolonged. Considering it’s currently the most valuable contract on the grid, it ideally should’ve. But Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll had other plans.

Over the years, Stroll has steadily built his business empire, owing to which he’s amassed a net worth of $3.7 billion. The plans to steal Hamilton’s limelight revolve around the $100 million investment he made in 2017. What was the investment? His son, Lance Stroll. With rumors floating around about Stroll Jr.’s future in F1, Stroll Sr. has helped resolve the case.

Lawrence Stroll helped clear the air around Lance Stroll’s F1 career

After joining F1 in 2017, Lance Stroll shifted to Lawrence Stroll-owned Racing Point in 2019. Since then, the only thing that’s changed about the team is its name (now Aston Martin) and the driver in the seat alongside Stroll Jr. Basically, Lance has something like a permanent seat in the team. Until this season, though, the Canadian was doing enough for his seat not to be questioned. But since Fernando Alonso joined Aston this season, the Spaniard has outrightly dominated the teammate battle. The disparity in performances led to Lance’s seat coming into question, but Team Principal Mike Krack has given his verdict.

In an interview with Speedweek, Krack was asked about this disparity and whether Lawrence Stroll’s influence ensures Lance doesn’t lose his seat. revealed, “We will be driving with Lance and Fernando in 2024.” [Translated by Google] Despite all the rumors surrounding the Canadian driver’s future in F1, the mention of his influential father helped quash all of them. Krack praised Lance, saying, “We see a Lance working very hard at home in the simulator and also at the track with the technicians. If we go into detail, it’s often close to Alonso.”

He added, “If all goes well, Stroll is within about three-tenths of a second close to Fernando, and I don’t know how many drivers would be able to do that. The rumors that Stroll is slowly becoming discouraged or that he is losing interest in Formula 1, we do not recognize them when working with him.” Speaking about the rumors, Lance Stroll gave a verdict on his F1 future.

Read More: Lawrence Stroll & Co.’s $150,000 Advantage About to End Days After Fernando Alonso’s Scintillating Return

Lance Stroll isn’t going to become a tennis player anytime soon

When F1 heads into its annual summer break, the lack of on-track action often leads to absurd rumors about drivers (which, more often than not, are meant to make things interesting during the break). Called the silly season because of this, one of the silliest rumors that went around was Stroll’s possible career switch to professional tennis. As much as he loves tennis, even he knows he has a better chance in F1. so when F1 finally returned last week, the Canadian was asked about the shocking rumors. 

He said, “Who was it that invented it? Surely, they were having a few beers on the bus, thinking about my tennis matches. It was certainly a strange thing. I never really thought about taking tennis back. One day, we will all wake up and make the decision to quit. It will happen to every driver on the starting grid. But at the moment, I am thinking about [the Dutch GP]. I will certainly be there in 2024, and I intend to race as long as possible.” 

What did you make of Lance Stroll’s tennis rumors during the summer break? Do you think he’ll be safe in F1 as long as Lawrence Stroll is in charge?

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