LanceStroll

IN FOCUS: LANCE STROLL

Lance Stroll got an appetite for speed and racing at the young age of five and his focus, coupled with his application and determination, meant he quickly progressed and dominated the junior single-seater ranks.

Earning championship titles in Italian F4, New Zealand's Toyota Racing Series, and Euro F3 in 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively, he made his Formula One race debut for Williams in 2017. In his first season, he would become Formula One's youngest ever rookie podium finisher, claiming third position at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix aged just 18 years and 239 days.

He has since added two further podiums and comes into 2021 on a high after a breakout campaign last year. That Baku result came in Lance's eighth Grand Prix and in only his fourth season of car racing.

Lance's switch to Racing Point at the start of 2019 brought about a further upturn in fortunes. If his first season was solid, both driver and team carried over their momentum into 2020, when Team Silverstone became able to consistently fight for podiums.

Lance enjoyed a seven-race points-scoring streak, culminating in a terrific podium finish at Monza – scene of one of the most joyous and unpredictable grands prix in years. Then a puncture, through no fault of his own, while fighting for back-to-back podiums brought that run to an end at September's Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello.

While there was then a more difficult run of races, Lance soon enjoyed his finest moment in Formula One.

At November's Turkish Grand Prix, Lance underlined the raw pace that had always been evident, taking both his and Racing Point’s first-ever pole position.

From the start of that Turkey weekend, drivers had been struggling on the freshly laid, but slippery, surface. A rainstorm ahead of Saturday's qualifying session made things even trickier, requiring teams to skilfully choose the right tyre for the damp but drying conditions.

Lance managed the task faultlessly, nailing his final lap to take his maiden pole by 0.290s from Red Bull star Max Verstappen. On the Sunday, he made a superb getaway to lead 32 laps of the race, only for unseen front wing damage undetected during his pitstop to prevent him taking a famous win.

In 2021, alongside new team-mate Sebastian Vettel, Lance returned the Aston Martin marque to the Formula One grid for the first time in over 60 years – going on to deliver a best finish of sixth in the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix, demonstrating expert tyre management and racecraft to climb the order.

Lance built on this momentum throughout the 2022 season and, on multiple occasions, showed glimpses of his potential. He scored his best result of the season in Singapore, when finishing sixth after tackling tricky weather conditions with aplomb.

Throughout the campaign, fans were regularly treated to lightning-fast starts from the Canadian which would catapult him up the order. Lance took eight top-10 finishes in 2022 and had a stellar qualifying performance at the United States Grand Prix, which ultimately secured him a top-five grid slot for the race.

Pre-season was heavily interrupted for Lance in 2023, with an injury leaving him with injuries to his hands and feet. Lance valiantly sped up his recovery process, pushing through the pain barrier to finish a superb sixth on his return with zero testing.

He continued his season with battling drives, including with a sensational opening lap in the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, and several charges up the order to deliver a top-10 finish in the standings by the end of the year.

Lance has a passion for testing his physical limits and mental fortitude both on and off the track – whether that's in the solitude of the great Rocky Mountains while backcountry skiing, chasing waves on his surfboard or switching his four wheels for two and opening up his motorcycle at the track.