Stroll’s sixth his best finish since Azerbaijan GP
LANCE STROLL CLAIMED HIS best finish since finishing third in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in June with sixth place.
The Williams driver started in 11th after setting the 12th fastest time in qualifying. While he was just over a second slower than team-mate Felipe Massa, this was down to taking a maximumattack approach to his second Q2 run, given only 12 cars were going to set a time in that session.
He climbed to ninth on the first lap, moving up to eighth thanks to Carlos Sainz Jr’s spin.
The retirements of Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg handed him two more positions, with the timing of the virtual safety car allowing him to jump ahead of Sergio Perez’s Force India to run fifth. He was passed by Sebastian Vettel into Turn 1 in the closing stages, but was never under threat for his sixth place. With Massa finishing 11th, Stroll has moved ahead of him into 10th in the drivers’championship.
Stroll’s points mean Williams takes a step closer to securing fifth in the constructors’championship after both Renaults retired and neither Toro Rosso scored points.