F1 News: Stroll dismisses quit rumors as Aston eyes Newey boost

(GMM) Lance Stroll (pictured) has laughed off speculation that he asked his billionaire father Lawrence for permission to quit Formula 1.

A respected Brazilian pundit recently claimed the Canadian made the request both last year and again this season, amid ongoing errors and questions about his motivation and results.

“I’m not sure where that came from,” Stroll said at Monza. “I guess he just wanted to say something. There’s no plan to do that, and I have never wanted to.”

On the contrary, the 26-year-old Canadian insists he is relishing Aston Martin’s future. “There’s not much reason not to smile at the thought of Adrian Newey building next year’s car.

“These are exciting times,” Stroll added.

Former Racing Bulls boss Franz Tost believes the impact of Newey’s arrival at Silverstone cannot be overstated. “There are probably several reasons,” he told Speed Week when asked about Red Bull’s 2025 decline.

“But the main factor is certainly the fact that several top people have left. Adrian Newey is simply a genius. There is no one else with his experience in the pitlane, and he will prove his expertise once again at Aston Martin.”

Aston Martin has already made progress this season, with Fernando Alonso crediting better use of its expanded headquarters.

“I think to trust the tools that we have in the factory and bring things to the track that actually deliver what was expected from them is obviously a very good thing,” said the Spaniard. “We didn’t have that in 2023 and in 2024.

“So yeah, it’s good to go back to a more normal factory-track kind of correlation and develop the 2026 car next winter knowing that the tools are correct.”