Ralf Schumacher brutally tells Lance Stroll to leave F1

Ralf Schumacher believes the time has come for Lance Stroll to leave F1.

Stroll finished 16th in the 2025 world championship with 33 points, while teammate Fernando Alonso scored 56 as Aston Martin slumped to seventh place in the constructors’ standings.

2025 marked Stroll’s ninth season in F1 and his seventh with Aston Martin, who he joined under their Racing Point guise when his billionaire father, Lawrence Stroll, took over the Silverstone-based squad.

Since then, Stroll has not finished higher than 10th in the drivers’ championship and has only recorded two podium finishes and one pole position. 

The 27-year-old Canadian’s performances alongside two-time world champion Alonso, who is 44, have been heavily scrutinised.

And former F1 driver and Sky Germany pundit Schumacher feels that Stroll’s time in the sport is up.

"Strictly speaking, that's no longer acceptable. Honestly, when I see how well the Formula 2 winner [Leonardo Fornaroli] has done, he deserves to be in a car like that a thousand times more," Schumacher said during the Sky Sports Germany podcast.

"But I'm also curious to see what happens there, because, to be honest, even Lawrence Stroll [...] can't turn a blind eye to this issue. In my opinion, he's also a candidate who shouldn't really be in Formula 1 anymore. Definitely.”

Stroll is under contract with Aston Martin until the end of 2026 but his deal is on a rolling basis.

Aston Martin are looking to capitalise on next year’s regulation shake-up to move up the order as they look to realise Stroll’s lofty ambitions of becoming world championship contenders in the coming years.

Adrian Newey has designed Aston Martin’s 2026 car and will become the outfit’s new team principal next season as he looks to transform their fortunes.

Aston Martin will also become Honda’s works F1 team through their exclusive engine partnership for 2026.