Formula 1 star Lance Stroll linked with shock switch to tennis as Daniel Ricciardo eyes his seat

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll has been linked with a sensational switch to tennis, should he leave Formula 1.

The Canadian is the only driver on the grid whose current contract length is unknown, due to his father Lawrence owning the team.

Stroll is in his seventh year in F1 after an impressive junior career, and is known for inconsistency, as well as moments of pure magic, particularly in the rain.

With three career podiums to his name and a pole position in Turkey, the 24-year-old has proved himself as an F1 regular, but things have been made complicated this season.

Stroll now has to contend with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso as his teammate, and so far it’s been a no-contest match-up with the Spaniard third in the championship on 149 points, while Stroll is ninth on 47 points.

That has led to speculation over his future, which Ben Anderson, editor of The Race, has revealed could take an interesting twist.

Speaking on The Race podcast, he said: “[Stroll] is too far behind Alonso but, really, he’s only likely to leave that team voluntarily – he’s on a rolling contract in his dad’s organisation.

“There’s been some rumours floating around that he’s considering a switch to tennis, so if he makes a career switch like that that opens up the seat.

“That said, I don’t think he’s keeping anyone off the grid who truly belongs there, I just think maybe he should be slightly lower down.”

Anderson then discussed the possibilities for the second Aston Martin seat, which could be highly sought after considering the team’s increased fortunes this year.

He added: “If the seat were theoretically to come up for 2024/25, [there’s] probably a few ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in that queue, [Alex] Albon, [Yuki] Tsunoda has already been mentioned as somebody Honda [Aston Martin’s engine partner from 2026] would potentially like to bring onboard down the line.

“Even someone like Oscar Piastri, who’s making waves as a rookie: once his original McLaren contract comes up he’d be someone you’d look at very seriously, especially in Aston Martin’s situation when you’ve got Alonso as established team leader but ageing and not likely to continue much beyond ’25.

“So Ricciardo, yes, big commercial appeal and popularity – but he’s got a long way to go still to restore his reputation to really compete for a top drive, although he would be a credible asset to most F1 teams.”