Ryanair Takes Brutal Swipe at Lance Stroll After Aston Martin Deal as Esteban Ocon Leaves Haas

Lance Stroll has another year of driving in Formula One but close friend Esteban Ocon's future in the sport remains uncertain. On Tuesday, Aston Martin announced that Stroll and two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso are extending their long-term contracts through 2027.

'As the most experienced driver line-up in Formula One, the duo will continue to provide Aston Martin Aramco with a valuable depth of racing knowledge and technical insight as the team builds on its work throughout the 2026 season and beyond,' Aston Martin said in its press release. Stroll is currently in his 10th year in F1 while Alonso will be racing in his 23rd season.

Ryanair Mocks Stroll's Renewal

Ryanair, known for its witty remarks on social media, took a swipe at Stroll following his contract renewal. 'Lance Stroll (agreement emoji) Ryanair passengers. Both paying for their seats.'

The roast appears to refer to Stroll's continued place at Aston Martin, whose team is owned by his father, Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll. The replies were even more brutal, with a few mentioning his propensity to crash.

According to the website StatsF1, Stroll has had 41 retirements since his rookie year in 2017. But the figures offer a more nuanced picture of Stroll's record. Of the 41 career retirements recorded by StatsF1, 14 were attributed to crashes. This year, he only crashed once—at the Monaco Grand Prix—while his nine other retirements were due to issues with the car.

Stroll's reputation stems mostly from animosity towards his reputation as a 'pay driver.' He also doesn't have a massive following behind him. Stroll is one of the drivers with the lowest following on social media—he only has 1.7 million Instagram followers while teammate has Alonso 7.8 million followers. Lewis Hamilton, the most-followed F1 driver, has 44 million.

A Tale of Two F1 Drivers

Meanwhile, Ocon's route into Formula 1 was very different from Stroll's. He came from a working-class background and worked his way through junior racing categories before reaching the sport's top level.

'My time with Haas F1 Team will come to an end at the end of the 2026 season,' Ocon said across his social media accounts. 'I leave this project with my head held high and proud of my performances in what were not always the easiest of circumstances for various reasons and factors outside of my control.'

'Not Always Fair'

This is most likely his swan song at F1 too as there are only two unconfirmed seats left: Haas and Racing Bulls.

But Ocon is hopeful that he still has a future in F1: 'I am still motivated. I am still hungry. This is absolutely not the end of my Formula 1 career.' Some commenters responded more sympathetically to Ocon's announcement.

Stroll, when asked about Ocon's Haas exit, said: 'Formula 1's not always fair, sometimes you're in situations where... it's just s***. I think he's demonstrated over the years that he's been great in Formula 1 and he's had a lot of good results.'

Stroll and Ocon have been friends since their karting days. It is a surprising friendship despite coming from completely different financial backgrounds. Ocon joined F1 in 2016, driving for the now-defunct Manor Racing Team. Stroll joined a year later via Williams Racing, after dominating the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2016.