Lance Stroll says his “batteries are fully charged” as he prepares to make his debut for Racing Point F1 Team at the Australian Grand Prix.
The Canadian made the move over winter and can’t wait to get the season underway with his new team.
“I feel really excited heading into the first race weekend.
“I love being ‘down under’ and, because it’s the first race of the year, it feels even more special.
“My batteries are fully charged and I’m feeling in great shape.
“After those long cardio sessions and winter training camps, it’s refreshing to just get back to the racing.
“It is an extra special weekend for me because it’s also my first race in a new team.
“A lot of my friends have said they really like the colours of our car and everybody says it looks great watching trackside.”
It is the first time the cars will be driven since testing at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona two weeks ago but Stroll is confident with the new car.
“Testing went pretty smoothly from my perspective.
“The second week was when we really found our stride and we did some good race preparation work.
“The car is giving me confidence and we’ve already found a good direction with the overall balance.
“I know we have more updates coming to the car this weekend, but I think we’ve done a good amount of our homework already.”
Albert Park is the opening venue for the 2019 season and Stroll has praised the Australian fans but is going into the race weekend without making a prediction.
“As a venue, Albert Park is pretty cool.
“The Aussie fans have great energy: they love F1 and we get a great welcome when we arrive at the circuit each morning.
“It’s a technical track – quite narrow in places, and there are a few bumps here and there too.
“We’ve done some sim work on the set-up already so I’m feeling pretty well prepared.
“I’m not heading into the race with any defined expectations.
“There are too many unknowns at the moment for me to make predictions.
“We will take it as it comes and focus on our programme, building speed with each session.”
