It's a big year for Lance Stroll in Formula 1, according to fellow Canadian racing driver Alex Tagliani.

While Stroll's Aston Martin teammate is now being linked with a sensational move to Mercedes in 2025, Stroll is still struggling to make his mark in F1 - despite racing full-time in the series with his father's strong backing since 2017.

"Everyone has their opinion," 25-year-old Stroll said last week when asked about his lingering reputation as a 'pay driver', "but I answer on the track."

But according to Tagliani, who raced in Indycar and Nascar but never F1, it's not so much a question of talent with Stroll, but motivation and drive.

"He has his place in F1," said Tagliani, "and he has some results under his belt that prove it.

"The question we have to ask ourselves is if he wants to be in F1," the 50-year-old, who is a regular critic of Stroll's, told La Presse.

"Does he have enough desire and interest to make the necessary sacrifices?"

However, it is true that Stroll's 2023 season - his first next to two-time champion Alonso - got off on the wrong foot when he broke his wrists and toe in a pre-season cycling fall.

Tagliani said: "I do think that just by starting the season injury-free and avoiding some mechanical issues as well, it should be a better season for him."