F1 | Styrian GP | Lance Stroll on overtaking Alonso: ”A fun battle.”
The Canadian driver was satisfied with improving his starting position, even though he had to surrender to the Ferraris after the pit stop.
It was a solid race for Lance Stroll, as the Canadian driver, who qualified yesterday in P9, had an impressive start that brought him up to P6, but had to concede to both Ferraris after the pit stop, ending the race in P8 for a seasonal best result, tied with Monaco and Imola.
For the second weekend in a row in the points, and his best result ever at the Red Bull Ring in F1, Stroll was pleased with his performance, as he said in the post-race debrief:
"We were racing well inside the points throughout the race and it was exciting to be in a battle from the first lap until the end."
An impressive first lap and a strong drive from there on out from @lance_stroll today. 💪 #F1 #StyrianGP pic.twitter.com/G1emQ8CooJ
— Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) June 27, 2021A crucial moment of the race was the first lap, when, after contact between Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly, the Aston Martin driver moved up on the grid:
"We made a strong start and ran in the pack with Fernando [Alonso], Charles [Leclerc] and Pierre [Gasly]. There was a little bit of contact ahead, which helped us gain some places, and I managed to overtake Fernando to move into sixth."
In the end, the fight with Alonso ended in favour of Stroll, leaving the Spaniard in P9:
"He was always close in the race, so it was maximum attack from there to the end. It was a fun battle throughout the race."
However, it wasn't all good for the former Williams driver, as he was overtaken by both Ferrari drivers, Carlos Sainz first, and, later on, Leclerc recovering from his lap one crash:
"We tried to hold off Carlos [Sainz Jr] and Charles but they had strong pace in the final part of the race and a tyre advantage."
Overall, Stroll is satisfied with his driving, which brings him up in the drivers' championship to P12, ahead of Alpine's Esteban Ocon, and already focusing on next week's race, especially on how to use the experience gained today to improve his and his team's performance:
"So P8 is a good result and we can be happy with a positive weekend from the very first lap on Friday. We are racing here again next weekend, so we will go away and understand where we can find gains to be even stronger next weekend."
Points in Styria! 💚
— Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) June 27, 2021
Join @Lance_Stroll as he debriefs his #StyrianGP.
