Lance Stroll to change his approach a bit for Chinese Grand Prix

The young Formula 1 rookie began his season racing on a difficult street circuit that was new to him at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. Stroll damaged his Williams FW40 when he tapped the wall during Free Practice 3. He later qualified a car that was hastily set-up and took the start from the back of the grid after receiving a penalty for a gearbox change.

The 18-year-old, Montreal native had a great start, avoiding a collision on the opening lap, which caused a flat spot on his supersoft tyres and meant he had to pit early for a new set of ultrasofts.

Stroll pitted again and battled with rivals on a one-stop strategy, running as high as 13th, before a problem with the front left brake forced him to retire.

He and his teammate, veteran Felipe Massa will face a totally different challenge this weekend at Shanghai International Circuit, where aerodynamic performance is tested, thanks to the circuit’s 1km back straight and its combination of sweeping corners. The long back straight is a great place for overtaking, but not the only opportunity on the circuit.

“This will be my first time in mainland China, as in the past I have just been to Macau where I raced in Formula 3”, said Lance Stroll.

“I don’t know a lot about the circuit. I have only done some simulator work on the track, so I still have to wait to see what it is like in reality. However, I have watched some of the races there so have an idea about the scale of the track. After Melbourne, which is a narrow track, I am going to change my approach a bit as it is a little more forgiving with the large run off areas. Having said that, I shall just prepare in the normal way as well as I can for the race.”