F1 star Lance Stroll mocked by Ryanair after major Aston Martin announcement

Lance Stroll

F1 star Lance Stroll mocked by Ryanair after major Aston Martin announcement

Social media strikes again

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Tuesday 29 September 2026 19:45

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F1 star Lance Stroll became the latest target of budget airline Ryanair's social media trolling after Tuesday's big announcement over his Aston Martin future.

It was confirmed that Stroll had signed an extension to his long-term contract with the team, with Fernando Alonso also set to remain at Aston Martin alongside him in 2027.

"I'm very happy to continue with Aston Martin Aramco for the long term. I've been on this journey since the beginning and I believe we have the resources and the people to become a winning team," Stroll said in a team statement.

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"There is so much hard work going on at Silverstone with real progress being made, and the determination I see in every department is a huge motivation for me. I know we are heading in the right direction, and my commitment is stronger than ever to help us achieve our goals."

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Ryanair mocks Stroll on social media

That announcement was met with social media trolling, though, including from budget airline Ryanair.

Ryanair's X account, which has more than 930,000 followers, regularly takes public shots at high-profile targets, with recent attacks on Premier League football clubs Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Stroll was the latest to be the subject of one of their tweets, with Ryanair playing up to the fact that the Canadian driver is regularly criticised for being a so-called 'pay driver' because his billionaire father Lawrence owns the team.

"Lance Stroll (handshake) Ryanair passengers," the airline wrote. "Both paying for their seats."

The tweet has since gained hundreds of thousands of impressions, with F1 fans divided in the replies, some in support of Stroll, some mocking him further.

F1's official tweet announcing Stroll's extension was also met with a tirade of trolling in the replies, which we will not repeat, much of it echoing a similar sentiment.

In defence of the 27-year-old, you don't go on to make over 200 grand prix starts if you're simply a 'pay driver', and any criticism of his results this year must be caveated by the fact he is driving an incredibly poor Aston Martin car.

All of this comes after F1 champion Lando Norris was also abused on social media in recent days after calling for Franco Colapinto to receive a race ban after a crash at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Different circumstances, same social media toxicity.