Racing Point’s Lance Stroll opted for hard tyres and stayed on the track for as long as possible, allowing him to finish 9th at Canada GP and collect points for the third time in seven races this season. He also tied his best performance in three career outings on the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
“It was a bit of a gamble. We did not know exactly which tires would be the best performers at the start of the race. I think we finally chose the best strategy possible.” Stroll said.
Stroll started the race in 17th position, but stayed on the track for 45 laps on hard tyres. He was in eighth place at the pit stop, which pulled him back by only two positions.
The Quebec driver then caught up with Carlos Sainz of McLaren with his medium tires. He overtook him with three laps to go to the Wall of Champions bickering to climb to ninth place.
“I had a great start, I won a few positions. After, I managed a nice overtaking on [Antonio] Giovinazzi and on [Sergio] Perez in the pin. I attacked from far enough. It was special to overtake Canadian fans.” Stroll said.
“On Sainz at the end, it was limited. I knew that [Daniil] Kvyat was coming behind me. I had to do something. I did it well and it’s even more satisfying. ”
Stroll’s weekend had a major rebound on Saturday, when his new Mercedes engine had flinched at the start of the last practice session. The mechanics had to speedy reinstall the old engine before qualifying. Stroll was then eliminated in the first qualifying segment for an 11th straight event.
Lance Stroll secures his first ever F1 points at the Canadian Grand Prix. (Source:www.sportsmax.tv)
After qualifying, Stroll recalled that he also started in 17th place at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in 2017, before finishing in ninth place to collect his first career points.
The story was repeated – a scenario quite different from that of 2018, when Stroll had to give up on the first lap due to an incident with Brendon Hartley.
“I was in a similar position and I left on Sunday with a big smile on my face. That’s what happened again, Stroll noted, looking back at the 2017 race. It’s been a little tougher today. I had to be aggressive to win positions. The team opted for the right strategy and we managed the tires well during the race.” Stroll said.
“I was able to stay on track for a very, very long time. I came back with the midrange with twenty laps to go and I was able to attack Sainz. It has been the key today.” he added.
