The 2023 Canadian Grand Prix this weekend will be the home race for Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll, but did you know that’s not his actual name…
The 24-year-old and his father Lawrence Stroll, who owns the Aston Martin team as well as several other expensive and successful businesses, have a much longer surname.
His full name is actually Lance Strulovitch, with his father named Lawrence Sheldon Strulovitch.
Canada’s only F1 driver, after the departure of Nicholas Latifi at the end of the 2022 season, had his family name shortened to Stroll by his grandfather Leo Strulovitch, who died earlier in 2023.
The name comes from a long line of Russian Jewish descent and Lance even holds citizenship in Belgium as well as Canada thanks to his mother’s heritage.
Stroll’s Journey to F1
Karting was, of course, the natural place for Lance’s start in motorsport and he typically enjoyed a lot of success in his native Canada.
In 2010, while still in karting, Stroll was signed to the Ferrari driver academy but the Scuderia opted to drop him in five years later despite only two years in car racing to that point.
Before being dropped by Ferrari, he stormed to the Italian Formula 4 title with PREMA but it was his 2015 season which saw the Prancing Horse’s patience run out.
It wasn’t even a bad season after winning the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand, he finished fifth in his rookie year in European Formula 3, winning a race, and taking eighth at the Macau Grand Prix.
2016 is when he really stepped up as he cruised to a dominant title in European Formula 3 which then earned him his drive in F1.
Stroll has had some impressive records in his time in F1 including being the second-youngest podium finisher ever and the latest to do so in his rookie season.
He also took a shock pole position at the 2020 Turkish GP for Racing Point, which went on to become Aston Martin.
