Stroll CALLS OUT F1 legend over exit rumors

Formula 1 star Lance Stroll has hit back at rumors that he could leave the sport, and his Aston Martin team, sooner rather than later.

The Canadian driver's place on the grid is one of the most hotly-debated in the sport, especially with Sergio Perez now out of a drive, after consecutive seasons of being comprehensively out-driven by team-mate Fernando Alonso.

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In 2024, Stroll finished 46 points behind Alonso, in a season in which the team as a whole only managed 94 points.

The 26-year-old is on a rolling contract with Aston Martin, with his father being the owner of the Silverstone outfit but, with the team hoping to challenge for championship titles in years to come, Stroll's position is regularly questioned.

Aston Martin have recently been rumoured to be making a swoop for Max Verstappen, although the team have firmly denied these reports, and they also boast a plethora of young talent in their academy, including 2022 F2 champion Felipe Drugovich.

Will Stroll retire from F1 early?

Stroll has also been rumoured to take an early retirement, with the now 26-year-old having been in the sport since he was just 18.

Broadcasting legend David Croft said a couple of years ago that he was expecting a time to come where Stroll would race his last race and walk away, suggesting he would 'find something that fulfils him more and brings him more excitement', pointing to Stroll's tennis talents as an example.

Now, Stroll has made a defiant statement about his long-term future in the sport, hitting back at Croft's comments and instead ensuring fans he's in the sport to stay.

"Be careful, don’t believe everything you read," he warned presenters on the Fast and the Curious podcast.

"No, I’m really not that good at tennis! Someone came up with that, I don’t really know how that started brewing.

"I mean, I always grew up playing a lot of sports, for sure. They were saying like I was going on the ATP World Tennis tour. Am I good enough to do that? No.

"Someone came up with this, I think it was Crofty, Crofty said it. Pulled that one out of somewhere, I don’t really know where."