Stroll finishes sixth in Australian Grand Prix
The wet conditions saw six drivers crash out of the race, including Stroll's Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso
Jewish Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll finished sixth in a chaotic Australian Grand Prix in the rain at Albert Park on Sunday afternoon.
The wet conditions saw six drivers crash out of the race, including Stroll’s Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso. But Stroll was able to manage the difficult conditions to finish 17.41 seconds behind winner Lando Norris.
His result in the race that mattered was a marked improvement on his rankings in Saturday’s qualifying and the weekend’s free practice sessions.
“It was one of those races [where we] just had to stay on track and keep it clean, and you know we did that today. So, happy to pick up six,” the Canadian told reporters after the race.
“Confidence was a big word out there today. The conditions are so tricky around the dry tyres, just one, you know, dry line, and then everything else was wet. And then, you know, vice versa on the inters, it was super tricky also. So I think it was just about, you know, keeping it clean. And we did.”
Stroll’s fastest lap on Sunday was 1:25.538.
He spent much of Sunday afternoon’s race in 10th behind Alonso until a dumping of rain late in the contest forced Aussie Oscar Piastri onto the grass while Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc kept their slick tyres one lap too long and tumbled down the order.
Crashes by Red Bull’s Liam Lawson and Kick Sauber Ferrari driver Gabriel Bortoleto meant that Stroll found himself in six when the third safety car of the day entered the fray. Once the safety car left the track, he held on to that position close out the contest.
The Canadian had previously expressed excitement at being back in Melbourne where he had previously enjoyed some favourable results.
“I’ve had good races here, good results … I like the track, I like the atmosphere around the weekend,” he told reporters last Thursday.
Stroll finished tenth in Melbourne in 2024.
But while Stroll finished the day in the points, Alonso was left pondering what have might have been after he crashed out in the 34th lap, leaving Aston Martin still with question marks after the first race of the Formula 1 season.
After a few lean seasons, Aston Martin is hoping that a significant overhaul of Formula 1 regulations in 2026 and a new engine partner in Honda will reverse the team’s fortunes.
Stroll last Thursday described the regulation change as a “huge opportunity”.
“It’s not just gonna fall into our laps … we recognise that,” he said. “We’ve just got to keep our heads down and keep pushing on a little bit.”
While McLaren’s Norris took top honours on Sunday, reigning champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull came second while Mercedes’ George Russell rounded out the podium.
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