Lance Stroll: “I am super-pleased to have been able to score a point”

Lance Stroll recovered from a poor grid spot to secure a point in last Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix, his first event in his homeland since 2019.

The Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team started down in seventeenth after struggling in the wet conditions of Qualifying at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, but he was much better on race day and was able to make a one-stop strategy work in his favour to break into the top ten.

By going long with his first stop, Stroll was able to move ahead of a number of drivers, and after his pit stop, he used his fresher tyres to good use to pass Daniel Ricciardo for what ended up being tenth position.

“We had a great strategy for this race and I am super-pleased to have been able to score a point,” said Stroll.  “We did a great job deciding to go long on the first set of tyres to make a one-stop race work, managing to keep a string of cars behind me.

“The overtake on Daniel [Ricciardo] was a nice bonus – we were on fresher tyres so it was a pretty easy move.

“Things are certainly a lot more challenging this year, but I am pleased to have had a successful race today. Finally, a big thank you to all the fans for giving me such a fantastic reception all weekend – it has been incredible to race at home after such a long time away.”

“The Virtual Safety Cars came along at the wrong time” – Sebastian Vettel

Team-mate Sebastian Vettel saw an early gamble for a pit stop backfire as the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed not long after, which saw him drop positions rather than gain.

The German had hoped to use clean air to jump traffic, but Vettel found himself compromised early, and he was forced to then gamble on going extremely long on his final set of tyres to try and break into the points.

On older tyres, Vettel was easy prey for other drivers late in the day, with the four-time World Champion playing the team game by allowing Stroll through to attack Ricciardo for tenth place.

“It just was not our day,” rued Vettel.  “We made an early stop to find some clear air, but then the Virtual Safety Cars came along at the wrong time. That really compromised my race.

“At the end, I was on very old rubber and I tried to hang on, but it did not work out. Lance was on fresher tyres, and the team asked me to let him past to attack Daniel, which I was happy to do.

“The result was frustrating – we had shown good pace this weekend and could have had a better result, but sometimes things do not go your way. Today felt like one of those days.

“Well done to the team for all their hard work and to Lance for scoring a point today.”

Sebastian Vettel ended twelfth on Sunday – Credit: Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team