For the first time in his Formula 1 career, this weekend, Lance Stroll will drive on a circuit that he is familiar with at the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Williams targeting strong finish in Austria as Lance Stroll heads to a familiar track
Stroll had a difficult start to his F1 career for Williams, with the press criticising the Canadian driver for ‘paying for his drive’ to compete in F1. A series of early crashes also promoted the creation of websites such as ‘Has Stroll Crashed Yet?’, and gave the driver a reputation early on, with many calling him the next Pastor Maldonado.
At his home race in Canada however, Stroll broke into the points for the first time in his career, finishing in ninth place. One race later in Azerbaijan, Stroll was finally able to show what he can do behind the wheel of a grand prix car, out qualifying his team mate, Felipe Massa, and finishing on the podium in third place, becoming the second youngest driver to do so.
Heading to Austria this weekend, Stroll is eyeing up another strong result, especially with the circuit being one that he is familiar with.
“Austria will be a completely new experience for me, as this is the first track of the year where I have already raced. I just love that track,” said the Canadian. “It is so cool and a place I have enjoyed racing. There are not that many corners but it has a great flow and it is easy to get a good rhythm. It is always great going back to a track where you have been successful, and that is definitely the case here as last year in Formula 3 I had two wins and a second! The area is very beautiful and it reminds me of back home in Canada – one of those northern tracks with pine trees.”
This weekend, Williams is aiming for a strong result in order to cement fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship and hold off Toro Rosso, and with the Red Bull Ring being a circuit that benefits the the team traditionally due to their Mercedes power and low drag, few would argue against the team getting a good result.
“We head to the Austrian GP this weekend in the picturesque Styrian mountains. The track itself is dramatic with a lot of elevation and some interesting corners which tend to produce some great racing,” said Paddy Lowe, Williams’ chief technical officer. “It is very short which makes racing quite dynamic, as the cars come round pretty quickly for a fresh lap. That keeps us on our toes on the pit wall! We got a front-row lockout in 2014, so we hope the car should be quick once again so we can see how far towards the front we can get in Qualifying. After Lance’s podium and Felipe’s strong but ultimately frustrated race in Azerbaijan, we have in our sights a double points finish this weekend. We will do our very best to achieve that.”
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