Paddy Lowe believes the pressure is starting to mount for Lance Stroll to deliver this season with Williams Martini Racing.
Stroll entered Formula 1 off the back of title success in Formula 3 last season, as well as bringing a significant budget to the Grove-based outfit.
The young Canadian has performed poor since Australia, with him yet to score a point and at the Spanish Grand Prix, qualified over a second off team-mate Felipe Massa.
With this performance, it has not helped him to shed the perception that money rather that talent secured his place on the 2017 Formula 1 grid.
Lowe, Technical Director for Williams, understands that he is a driver with a lot of expectation around him and with this poor performance, it’s not making the situation any easier.
“One of the very difficult things for Lance is the enormous pressure placed upon him,” said Lowe. “He’s a driver with a lot of expectation around him from, not just people close to him, but across the board I think.
“There is a spotlight on him, on how he got here and does he really deserve the drive. Racing drivers are, by their nature, super competitive so they are the best and worst at beating themselves up if they are not performing as they should.
“So that cascades and creates its own pressure on him, even if it’s not already got enough from outside. There are no easy answers to about how you undo that pressure.”
Lowe is trying to help Stroll through the position he’s in but believes it’s ultimately about him enjoying his time in the championship.
“There’s a bit of coaching involved and I appreciate the challenging position he’s in, so I’m trying to help him through that,” adds Lowe.
“One thing that is important is to actually be able to enjoy it, to be honest. Why do people drive racing cars?
“It’s because they love driving quick cars and if you are not here enjoying it then it’s actually not helping. But it’s easier said than done with all the pressure I mentioned.”
