Lance Stroll


Lance Stroll is a Belgian-Canadian racing driver currently driving in Formula One with Racing Point, having previously driven for Williams in 2017 and 2018. He was Italian F4 champion in 2014, Toyota Racing Series champion in 2015, and 2016 FIA European Formula 3 champion. He was part of the Ferrari Driver Academy from 2010 to 2015. He achieved his first podium finish, a 3rd place, at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, becoming the second-youngest driver to finish an F1 race on the podium and the youngest to do so during his rookie season. Stroll also competed in endurance racing, taking part in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2016 and 2018.

Personal life

Stroll is the son of billionaire Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll and Belgian fashion designer Claire-Anne Callens. Stroll has an older sister named Chloe. Stroll races under the Canadian flag and holds both Canadian and Belgian citizenship.

Career

Like many race drivers, the Geneva-based Canadian began his motorsport career in karting at the age of 10. He recorded numerous race and championship wins in his native Canada and North America and in 2008, his first year of karting, he won the Federation de Sport Automobile du Quebec rookie of the year award and driver of the year in 2009. In 2010, Stroll became a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy.

Formula 4

Stroll's car racing debut came in the 2014 Florida Winter Series, a non-championship series organised by the Ferrari Driver Academy. He raced against future Formula One competitors Nicholas Latifi and Max Verstappen, and took two podium finishes as well as pole position at Homestead–Miami Speedway.
Stroll made his competitive car racing debut in the 2014 Italian F4 Championship, driving for Prema Powerteam. Despite missing the final round due to injury, Stroll emerged as series champion, taking seven race wins, thirteen podium finishes and five pole positions.

Formula 3

2015

At the beginning of 2015, Stroll won the New Zealand-based Toyota Racing series, recording 10 podiums – including four wins – from 16 race starts. In the same year, he also contested the FIA Formula 3 European Championship with Prema Powerteam, partially owned by his father Lawrence Stroll. He competed against future Formula One competitors Antonio Giovinazzi, Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Alexander Albon, winning one race at the Hockenheimring and achieving six total podium finishes in the 33-race series. He ended the season 5th in the championship. 2015 also marked Stroll's first and only appearance at the non-championship Formula Three Macau Grand Prix, which he finished in 8th place.
On 11 November 2015, it was announced that Stroll would leave the Ferrari Driver Academy to serve as a test driver for Williams.

2016

Stroll began 2016 by finishing 5th at the 2016 24 Hours of Daytona, driving for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing in a Ford EcoBoost Prototype. He remained with Prema Powerteam for a third consecutive year to compete in his second season of the Formula 3 European Championship. He won the first race at Circuit Paul Ricard before taking thirteen more race victories over the season, including five consecutive victories in the final five races. He claimed the title with four races to go and ended the season 187 points clear of nearest competitor Maximilian Günther.

Formula One

Williams (2017–2018)

;2017
at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix
Stroll drove for the Williams team for the 2017 Formula One Season. He became the first Canadian Formula One driver since the World Drivers' Champion Jacques Villeneuve. After three retirements, Stroll's first race finish came at the fourth round in Russia, where he finished in eleventh despite spinning on the first lap. In the Spanish Grand Prix, Stroll finished sixteenth and last of all the drivers to finish the race. Two weeks later, Stroll retired after brake failure in Monaco, but was still classified 15th. Stroll scored his first points in his home Grand Prix in Montreal, finishing in 9th place.
Stroll got his first podium by finishing third in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, becoming the youngest rookie and the second youngest driver after Max Verstappen to finish on the podium in Formula One, at the age of 18 years and 239 days. Further, Stroll gained more positions on the opening lap than any of his rivals in the season.
Stroll registered the 4th fastest time during a wet qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix. Due to both Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen taking grid penalties, Stroll was promoted to the 2nd place on the starting grid, making him the youngest Formula One driver to start on the front row of a race at the age of 18 years and 310 days. Stroll finished 7th in the race.
At the third to last race of the 2017 season, the Mexican Grand Prix, Stroll worked his way up to 6th in the race from 11th on the grid, promoted from 12th after Daniel Ricciardo was demoted due to penalties, and finished in that position, placing him ahead of teammate Felipe Massa on points scored for the first time this season.
;2018
got off to a rough start, with multiple incidents and mistakes within the first few races. Despite an 8th place in Azerbaijan, Stroll scored his next point at Monza, having failed to score at his home race in Canada when he crashed with Brendon Hartley. Although the FW41 was well off the pace all season, it was reliable as Stroll only retired from 2 races during the season.

Racing Point (2019–2020)

;2019
Stroll was signed by Racing Point for the season alongside Sergio Pérez where he replaced Esteban Ocon after his father Lawrence Stroll bought the team. Stroll scored his first points for the team at the opening race in Australia, finishing 9th. At the Chinese Grand Prix, Stroll criticized team strategy after finishing outside of the point-scoring positions for the second consecutive race. In Spain he was involved in a collision with Lando Norris that ended both drivers' races. A third points finish came at his home race in Canada, where he finished 9th after starting in 17th.
In qualifying at the German Grand Prix, Stroll progressed to Q2 and qualified 15th, ending a streak of fourteen Grands Prix in which he had been eliminated in Q1. During the race, he narrowly missed out on a podium, running with slick tyres on a drying track late in the race. He would cross the line in 4th place. Stroll's next points finish came in Belgium, where he started 16th and finished 10th. He scored his final points of the season after finishing 9th in Japan. His second and third retirements of the season came during the final two races, after he suffered a suspension failure in Brazil and brake issues in Abu Dhabi.
Stroll finished his first season at Racing Point in 15th place in the championship with 21 points, considerably below teammate Pérez's 52 points, having been out-qualified by Pérez 18-3 over the season's 21 races.
;2020
Stroll and Pérez were re-signed by Racing Point for. Stroll will race under an American license in 2020 after Canada’s national sporting authority resigned its mandate from the FIA, but will still be shown as Canadian on every official recognition during race weekends. During the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix, Stroll qualified in 9th place but then subsequently retired from the race following engine problems. Stroll finished 4th at the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix after qualifying third.

Aston Martin (2021)

Stroll is due to drive for the rebranded Racing Point team in as they become Aston Martin Racing.

Racing record

Career summary

* Season still in progress.

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results

YearEntrantEngine123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233DCPoints
2015Prema PowerteamMercedesSIL
1
6		SIL
2
4		SIL
3
Ret		HOC
1
6		HOC
2
14		HOC
3
6		PAU
1
9		PAU
2
10		PAU
3
4		MNZ
1
11		MNZ
2
Ret		MNZ
3
DSQ		SPA
1
31		SPA
2
Ret		SPA
3
EX		NOR
1
8		NOR
2
4		NOR
3
26		ZAN
1
4		ZAN
2
Ret		ZAN
3
5		RBR
1
4		RBR
2
3		RBR
3
5		ALG
1
4		ALG
2
3		ALG
3
3		NÜR
1
9		NÜR
2
3		NÜR
3
2		HOC
1
1		HOC
2
6		HOC
3
Ret		5th231
2016Prema PowerteamMercedesLEC
1
1		LEC
2
Ret		LEC
3
5		HUN
1
4		HUN
2
8		HUN
3
3		PAU
1
9		PAU
2
4		PAU
3
2		RBR
1
2		RBR
2
1		RBR
3
1		 NOR
1
1		NOR
2
2		 NOR
3
1		ZAN
1
1		ZAN
2
Ret		ZAN
3
Ret		SPA
1
1		SPA
2
Ret		SPA
3
4		NÜR
1
1		NÜR
2
1		NÜR
3
2		IMO
1
2		IMO
2
1		IMO
3
1		HOC
1
1		HOC
2
1		HOC
3
1		1st507

24 Hours of Daytona results

Complete Formula One results

YearEntrantChassisEngine123456789101112131415161718192021Points
Williams Martini RacingWilliams FW40Mercedes M08 EQ Power+ 1.6 V6 tAUS
Ret		CHN
Ret		BHR
Ret		RUS
11		ESP
16		MON
15†		CAN
9		AZE
3		AUT
10		GBR
16		HUN
14		BEL
11		ITA
7		SIN
8		MAL
8		JPN
Ret		USA
11		MEX
6		BRA
16		ABU
18		12th40
Williams Martini RacingWilliams FW41Mercedes M09 EQ Power+ 1.6 V6 tAUS
14		BHR
14		CHN
14		AZE
8		ESP
11		MON
17		CAN
Ret		FRA
17†		AUT
14		GBR
12		GER
Ret		HUN
17		BEL
13		ITA
9		SIN
14		RUS
15		JPN
17		USA
14		MEX
12		BRA
18		ABU
13		18th6
SportPesa Racing Point F1 TeamRacing Point RP19Mercedes M10 EQ Power+ 1.6 V6 tAUS
9		BHR
14		CHN
12		AZE
9		ESP
Ret		MON
16		CAN
9		FRA
13		AUT
14		GBR
13		GER
4		HUN
17		BEL
10		ITA
12		SIN
13		RUS
11		JPN
9		MEX
12		USA
13		BRA
19†		ABU
Ret		15th21
BWT Racing Point F1 TeamRacing Point RP20Mercedes M11 EQ Performance 1.6 V6 tAUT
Ret		STY
7		HUN
4		GBR70AESPBELITATUSRUSEIFPOREMI8th*18*

Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
* Season still in progress.