WATCH: Is Lance Stroll's time in F1 finally up?

Along with Sergio Perez, Stroll’s future is a topic that continues to be hotly debated.

Stroll’s consistent underperformance in F1 2023 is the main reason Aston Martin are set to lose fourth in the constructors’ championship to McLaren.

The Canadian has scored 136 points fewer than teammate Fernando Alonso, who remarkably sits third in the standings.

The vast chasm between the two teammates is only greater at Red Bull, with Max Verstappen scoring 209 points more than Perez so far.

In many normal cases, Stroll’s form would lead to him being sacked at the end of the season - and most likely out of F1 for good - however his case is unique in the fact that his billionaire father - Lawrence Stroll - owns the team.

As a result, his future as a driver within the team is basically untouchable for as long as Lawrence is the owner or if Lance wants to stick around.

Lawrence has backed his son from the start, funding his karting career, ultimately leading him to join the Ferrari Driver Academy as one of their prestigious talents.

Stroll’s rise through the ranks was impressive, but again, he had a unique advantage given his father’s incredible wealth and connections.

Lawrence’s acquisition of the entire Prema operation put the odds in his son’s favour, so it was no surprise he would dominate and take the title in 2016.

Combined with the fact that they were paying Williams to privately test their 2014 car in preparation for F1.

It ultimately culminated in Stroll making his grand prix debut with the Grove outfit a year later, at just 18 years of age.

Despite the critics, and a fairly uninspiring start alongside veteran Felipe Massa, Stroll turned things around with an impressive weekend in Azerbaijan, scoring his maiden podium.

He would ultimately end the season just a few points behind Massa in the standings - impressive given Logan Sargeant in 2023 hasn’t yet to score when teammate Alex Albon has picked up 23.

An uncompetitive Williams package in 2018 - with the team not willing to sell to the Strolls - saw Lawrence takeover the Force India outfit.

Rebranded as Racing Point (and now Aston Martin), the Strolls have remained at the Silverstone-based outfit ever since.

Stroll was comprehensively beaten by new teammate Perez in 2019, however, 2020 showed he had scope to progress.

A very competitive Racing Point allowed Stroll (and Perez) rack up big points, including a 1-3 finish at the Sakhir Grand Prix.

While the final points tally didn’t reflect Stroll’s season entirely, with bad luck and COVID-19 having an impact overall.

Stroll then performed respectfully alongside Sebastian Vettel at the newly branded Aston Martin, with the pair evenly-matched come race day.

At this point, it seemed that Stroll had established himself as a solid, midfield performer whose F1 future wasn’t questioned as frequently.

However, fast forward to 2023, it’s a different story.

Ironically, Stroll’s best form came at the start of the season when he was recovering from a hand injury.

With his performances not getting any better, frustrations have boiled over in recent rounds, particularly in Qatar, where he was seen pushing his personal trainer.

The enjoyment is clearly dwindling for Stroll and alongside Alonso, he has one of the toughest teammates on the grid.

What the future holds is up to him - or his father.

Given the level of investment and time that has been put into Stroll’s career - and subsequent team in the form of Aston Martin - it would be hard to give up.

If Stroll was to leave F1, he wouldn’t be short of opportunities elsewhere - in other motorsport categories or outside, Tennis, perhaps?

Similarly Aston Martin’s resurgence will make it an attractive proposition for at least half of the grid.