Lance Stroll says he disappointed with his 11th place finish at the Russian Grand Prix, following a lap one spin which significantly compromised his race.
The Canadian entered the weekend on the back of three consecutive retirements in the opening three races of his fledgeling career. As such, Russia marked the first time that Stroll has seen the checkered flag in Formula 1.
However, finishing a slender 5.6 seconds away from tenth place and a maiden point, Stroll was understandably disappointed with the result, particularly considering that an innocuous lap one spin ultimately proved decisive.
“It was a bit disappointing with the spin, as I think it could have been quite a bit better, but we will take our first finish,” the 18-year-old stated.
Regarding his spin, he added; “It was so unfortunate. I had a really good start and think I was around P8 at one point, and then I got squeezed on the kerb, there wasn’t much grip and the car just got away from me.
“I knew I didn’t have any damage, but I fell to the back and it was just one of those things that happens.
“After that, it was a difficult first stint because I had that spin and then had to spin the car round to keep going, and I overheated the rears quite a bit so I had poor grip.
“But then I recovered a bit on the second stint and saw the chequered flag for the first time, which was nice.”
Team-mate Felipe Massa had a similarly frustrating afternoon. Despite running sixth for the majority of the race, a late puncture demoted him to ninth.
Williams currently sits fifth in the constructors’ championship, with Massa having scored all 18 of their points to date.
The team will need Stroll to become a consistent points scorer if they are to overhaul fourth-placed Force India after the Silverstone squad notched their fourth consecutive double points finish in Russia.
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