Stroll will do well in F1, says F3 rival
After pushing him in the early stages of last season, Callum Ilott is optimistic about Lance Stroll’s chances in F1, and believes the European Formula 3 championship is the best preparation for Formula One.
Coming into Formula One as a rookie is always a big step up, no matter what a driver has been racing in previously. Things like the multiple settings on the steering wheel might cause a few problems for the teenager, but Ilott thinks Stroll won’t do too badly in his old rival’s debut F1 season.
“The driving should be no problem,” Ilott told Read Motorsport.
“It’s just the difference that none of the other categories have, with all the settings. And you don’t have any help from the engineers anymore because the radio is down. So you’ve got to be able to set up the car yourself through the steering wheel. Which, I think, sometimes can catch drivers out quite a bit. Sure, he’ll struggle a little with it but I think, overall, he shouldn’t be too bad.”
In recent years, two drivers have made the jump straight from European F3 to F1. Though Max Verstappen, the last man to make the jump, proved he was talented enough for the pinnacle of motorsport, many people have said that the modern F3 championship isn’t as competitive as it has been in the past, and winning the title might not always be evidence of their talent.
Ilott believes that isn’t the case.
“[European F3] is the only one where you’re pushing 100% in all the races,” he said. “In Gp2, Gp3, you’re tyre saving. I think it’s a real judge of who’s able to push the whole time.
“I think F3 throughout the years have shown who the good drivers are. I mean, Felix Rosenqvist: he’s quick whatever he does, and he won it and he’s been in the top three in Formula 3 for five years. If you’re quick in F3, you’re quick in everything.”