Paddy Lowe feels Lance Stroll’s ninth place finish in the Canadian Grand Prix will give the rookie driver a whole lot of confidence, with the teenager having had a difficult start to his Formula 1 career.
The Williams Martini Racing driver secured a first points finish in his seventh Grand Prix in his home race, and Chief Technical Officer Lowe praised him for the way he worked his way through from seventeenth on the grid, including making some great passes.
Lowe feels Stroll will now be able to build on this result going forward with the knowledge that he now knows what the 2016 FIA European Formula 3 Champion is capable of in Formula 1.
“A huge congratulations to Lance,” said Lowe. “He’s the first Canadian in Formula One since Jacques Villeneuve, and now he’s scored his first points at his home race. It’s a great story.
“Given the difficult start Lance has had to his Formula One career, this feels like a race win to us. It was an incredible drive. He showed some fantastic race-craft, great overtaking and he really earned those points today.
“From seventeenth on the grid up to ninth, including a battle with a double world champion, which he took in his stride. I think today’s result will boost his confidence going forward and will give him some real momentum.”
