Lawrence Stroll looks back on Lance's F1 career: "He just had no chance"
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Lance Stroll is currently in his fifth season in Formula One. The Canadian made his debut in 2017 at Williams and two years later switched to Racing Point, the team his father Lawrence Stroll took over and renamed Aston Martin.
Torture at Williams
Stroll entered Formula 1 through the Toyota Racing Series (2015) and Formula 3 (2016) where he became champion in both race classes. His first year at Williams went reasonably well with a twelfth place in the championship, mainly due to a third place in the tumultuous Azerbaijan Grand Prix. In his second season, he finished just 18th in the championship.
In the Beyond the Grid podcast, Lawrence Stroll comments on his son's first years in Formula 1. "The two years at Williams were torture," Lawrence Stroll makes his opinion clear. "When you're used to winning in the previous classes, and then you only finish 18th, it's hard to digest."
A competitive car for Stroll
According to Stroll senior, Stroll, therefore, had to leave Williams. "So it was quite important that we gave Lance the chance to drive a more competitive car and we managed to do that with Racing Point from 2019." It especially succeeded in 2020 where Stroll finished 11th in the championship with two podium finishes.
According to Lawrence Stroll, there could have been a lot more for Lance in 2020. "After the Italian Grand Prix, he was in fourth place in the championship, but then came the blowout in Mugello, followed by a couple of collisions with other drivers. He just had no chance." This season is also going smoothly for the young Stroll so far. With 26 points he is thirteenth in the championship, just behind teammate Sebastian Vettel.