Although it’s not been officially confirmed that he has a contract beyond 2024, you can almost guarantee Lance Stroll will still be on the Formula 1 grid next season.
The Canadian driver is entering his eighth season in F1 but once was left behind by teammate Fernando Alonso in Japan.
Speaking on The Chequered Flag Podcast, BBC Sport’s Harry Benjamin feels now is the time for Aston Martin to consider replacing him.
Once again, Alonso showed just why he’s one of the best drivers of his generation in Formula 1.
The 42-year-old was on an alternative strategy to those around him but still finished in 6 and scored some valuable points for his team.
He kept Oscar Piastri and George Russell at bay with Lewis Hamilton nowhere to be seen at the chequered flag.
However, Lance Stroll had another disappointing weekend in Suzuka after failing to get out of Q1 once again.
It might be time for Aston Martin to consider a replacement for Stroll if they want to take the next step and that could be Yuki Tsunoda.
The £15,000-a-week driver is out of contract at the end of the season but has put in some brilliant performances already this year.
He’s consistently leaving teammate Daniel Ricciardo behind but still isn’t under consideration for a drive with the sister Red Bull team.
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Aston Martin told to consider Yuki Tsunoda as Lance Stroll replacement
It was a weekend to forget for Lance Stroll after being caught up in the battle for the final points-paying position.
After scoring points in Bahrain and Australia, he offered the bottom five teams their first opportunity to get on the board when he crashed out in Saudi Arabia.
Nico Hulkenberg was the man who benefitted that day and he nearly scored points for the third consecutive race on Sunday.
However, as hard as Stroll tried to go through the grid with his upgraded Aston Martin, it was Tsunoda who earned the final point in front of his home crowd.
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Harry Benjamin urges Aston Martin change
Speaking about a potential switch, Benjamin said: “If Aston Martin want to become a serious threat in Formula 1, they have the facilities and the money to do it.
“They need a second driver, well first of all they need to hold onto Fernando Alonso, then they need a second driver who is capable of scoring points and banking them.
“They get Honda power units in 2026, I would like to make the case for Yuki Tsunoda.
“If he’s not rated in Red Bull to be promoted or to even stay in that RB seat, at the moment he’s trouncing Daniel Ricciardo.
“OK, I don’t think he’s a world championship driver but if he’d been in that second Aston Martin, he would have banked more points than Lance Stroll has so far.
“Or [Carlos] Sainz, but the Honda link is my reasoning for that.”
Yuki Tsunoda deserves praise after brilliant start to 2024 season
If Aston Martin offered Tsunoda the chance to replace Stroll, he might find it difficult to say no.
While his dream is to race for Red Bull one day, that looks less and less likely to happen.
Instead, Aston Martin are a team on the up and in Alonso, he would have the perfect teammate to learn from.
The Honda connection certainly helps but he’s already doing enough to earn a seat at a better team heading into potentially his fifth campaign.
The post ‘Make the case’: Harry Benjamin tells Aston Martin they need to replace Lance Stroll with £15k-a-week driver appeared first on F1 Oversteer.