Lance Stroll admitted he felt comfortable behind the steering wheel on the opening day of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, with the Canadian ending the day with the sixth fastest time.
The Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team driver began the day at Spa-Francorchamps with the eleventh best time in free practice one, but his second practice saw him end sixth, just seven-tenths of a second behind pacesetter Max Verstappen.
Stroll says he is excited to get back into the car on Saturday and build on the potential Aston Martin showed on Friday, regardless of the weather conditions that they will face in Belgium.
“It is great to be back at Spa,” said Stroll. “I love coming here because it is such a special track. We got through our programme today to complete a good number of laps and I was comfortable in the car.
“It has been a strong start for us, but the damp conditions out there show it could be quite unpredictable on Saturday and Sunday. The weather being a bit of an unknown is challenging, but that makes it more exciting for us drivers.
“I am looking forward to getting back in the car tomorrow and building on today’s work.”
“I think there is more to come from me and the car” – Sebastian Vettel
Team-mate Sebastian Vettel also said he was comfortable behind the wheel of the AMR21, with the German ending both sessions inside the top eight on Friday.
Vettel, disqualified from second place in the Hungarian Grand Prix prior to the summer break, placed seventh in the morning session at Spa-Francorchamps and eighth in the afternoon, but the German feels there is more to come both from the car and himself across the remainder of the weekend.
“It is good to be back after the break and I felt comfortable in the car straight away,” said Vettel. “It was not easy to complete a lot of laps because of the conditions and the two red flags this afternoon, but we were able to collect some important data.
“I think there is more to come from me and the car, and we know what to work on overnight to be ready for qualifying. I think the changeable weather is here to stay, so reading the conditions and being on the right tyre at the right time will be key.
“Wet weather can always mix up the grid a bit, so hopefully we can capitalise on any opportunities this weekend.”
