Lance Stroll has admitted that it has yet to sink in that he will be making his Formula 1 debut this season, and that it will only really hit him when the five lights go out for the start of the Australian Grand Prix in March.
The eighteen-year-old and current FIA European Formula 3 Champion has been preparing himself for his debut with tests in older cars and in the gym as he becomes the first Canadian to race in Formula 1 since Jacques Villeneuve in 2006, but Stroll admits that his journey has barely started and is going to be an incredible one.
“I love Formula 1, I’ve been watching it ever since I’ve been a little boy,” said Stroll at Autosport International on Saturday. “It’s incredible for me to think I’m here.
“It hasn’t really completely sunk in yet, I think I’m only going to feel it when I’m on the grid in Melbourne. Then you’re obviously there and the lights are going to go off and you’re going to have to forget everything and concentrate.
“It’s a hell of a challenge – there’s going to be a lot to learn during the year, there are going to be hard times, there’s going to be good times. It’s going to be an incredible journey.”
