The Canadian, whose team are struggling with an uncompetitive Honda power unit and have yet to score a point in three races of a new engine era, delivered a blunt verdict on Thursday on what he called “fake” racing ahead of the fourth round of the season in Miami this weekend.
Formula One is returning from an enforced five-week break after April races in the Middle East were called off due to the Iran war.
Describing recent rules tweaks to address driver concerns about safety and the racing as a “Band Aid solution”, Stroll said he had watched old races and the Monaco Historic during the break and been struck by how good the cars sounded and how nimble they were.
“I drove other cars over the break, I tested some F3 cars, and it is like 1,000 times more fun and better to drive because you have your right foot, you give what you want, and you get what you want,” he added.
“Everyone hears the sound of the V8, V10 era and is going like: ‘Wow, that is amazing, that is F1 when you hear it’ and now, de-rating into a corner, I’m downshifting going into a corner with no character or no noise. It is fake,” added the driver, whose father Lawrence owns the Silverstone-based team.
The new power units, split roughly 50-50 between electric and combustion power, have brought fresh challenges since being introduced this season.
Drivers have had to tactically ease off the throttle early and coast into high-speed corners that would normally be a big test of bravery so the combustion engine can recharge the battery.
“F1 is a business, and they want to protect their business and make it look good, and we’re drivers, and we know what it feels like to drive good cars,” said Stroll.
He recognised there was a new generation of fans attracted by Netflix who watched the Liberty Media-owned sport “no matter what” but said there were also those with longer memories.
“The drivers, the fans, the people that really know about racing, who know what it was like before, and the drivers who know what it is really like to drive really good, proper cars, there is no hiding behind the fact that right now (that) it is not as good as it can be,” he added.
Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali has defended the changes and recently urged drivers to be respectful and constructive in their criticism.