Lance Stroll says modern F1 is 'fake'

Ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll delivered a striking verdict on Formula 1’s current technical direction, calling the cars “fundamentally so flawed” and “fake” and saying a Formula 3 car is “1000 times more fun and better to drive.”

Stroll’s criticism went far beyond a complaint about setup or a single rule tweak. He argued the bigger problem is how much modern F1 asks drivers to manage energy, throttle application and lift-and-coast, rather than simply attack. Speaking in Miami, Stroll said “all the part throttle stuff is just destroying the racing” and the qualifying laps, adding that he hopes the cars become more normal to drive so drivers do not have to think so much about management.

He said the current package remains far removed from what he considers a proper F1 car. “I think we’re miles off where we should be,” Stroll said, describing the situation as a band-aid solution because drivers still cannot push flat out without thinking about batteries and all that comes with them.

That view was sharpened by what he did during the break. Stroll said he tested F3 cars and came away enjoying them far more than the current generation of grand prix machinery. He said they were “1000 times more fun and better to drive” because “you have your right foot, you give what you want, and you get what you want.” He also pointed to weight as a major factor, saying 550 to 650 kilos is “a lot nicer than 750, 800 plus.”

For Stroll, the gap is not only about feel from the cockpit but about what F1 has lost in character. During the break he watched old races, the Monaco Historics on television and onboard footage from the early and mid-2000s. He said the Ferraris from the early 2000s sounded “good” and looked “small and nimble,” while the V8- and V10-era onboards appeared “much more intense” and “much more exciting” than what the sport produces now.

He drew the comparison most sharply on sound and power delivery. Stroll said everyone who hears cars from the V8 and V10 eras reacts by saying, “Wow, that is amazing, that is F1.” By contrast, he described modern cars as de-rating into corners and downshifting “with no character or no noise,” before summing it up in blunt terms: “It is fake.”

Stroll made clear he does not see an easy solution coming soon. He said he has heard rumors about future regulations, but expects teams and drivers to have to live with the current package for “the next three-four years.”

He also framed the issue as a split between what works commercially for Formula 1 and what drivers believe the cars should be. Stroll said “F1 is a business, and they want to protect their business and make it look good,” while drivers know what good cars feel like. In his view, the audience may keep watching through broadcasts and Netflix, but “there’s no hiding behind the fact that right now, it is not as good as it can be,” leaving F1 with a leading driver openly arguing that the category has drifted too far from the machines he believes it should be building.