"This man gets a shocking and disgusting amount of hatred" - Fans express anger over French commentator calling Lance Stroll 'autistic' at 2022 F1 Austrian GP

During the 2022 F1 Austrian Grand Prix, a French commentator reportedly called Aston Martin's Lance Stroll "autistic" as an insult, and the fans were not happy, to say the least. Some suggested that this was a comment made by a guest on the French-language Belgian broadcasting channel RTBF, and not Gaëtan Vigneron, who is usually the main commenter on the channel.

The Canadian driver is undeniably not the most fan-supported driver on the grid, but many have taken to social media to call out F1 for ignoring the abuse he faces, even from official broadcasters. Having had a pay-driver tag throughout his motorsport career, Stroll has faced an unbelievable amount of bullying and hate from fans, who refuse to believe he deserves a seat in F1.

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Here are some of the fans' reactions to the incident at the 2022 F1 Austrian GP

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Former F1 driver expects Lance Stroll's seat to be at risk if he does not improve

Former Grand Prix winner Johnny Herbert believes it is time for part-owner of the Aston Martin F1 team Lawrence Stroll to have a chat with his son Lance Stroll regarding his performance and his place in the team. The Briton suggested that this would be the right thing to do for the team's greater benefit.

On the F1 Nation podcast, Herbert said:

“Lance has had a bit of a difficult time of late. I sometimes think there is a certain time that, if it doesn’t quite happen, Lawrence has got to go ‘son, I’ve given you a chance. It isn’t quite working out, and I’ve got to do what’s right for the team’. I think there will be a point that’s going to happen. I don’t exactly know when that will be, but it’s down to Lance actually to do the job that he needs to do and consistently do that job. At the moment, it’s a little bit scrappy.”

As reported by PlanetF1, the 23-year-old also admitted that he still needs to find comfort and consistency with his AMR22, saying:

“We’re always learning but I think, just on my side, I want to get into a better more comfortable place with the car. I still feel like I’m not really that confident in the car and feeling very precise, and just predictable in the car. I think I’ve still got to keep working to get back to the place that felt like I was in last year, or the year before, where it was just more predictable and more comfortable. And, right now, it’s still a little bit just difficult for me. And, yeah, I’ve got to keep working with my engineers to try and sort that out.”

Lance Stroll currently stands nineteenth in the drivers' standings with three points to his name.