Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll is delighted to end a two-race non-points scoring run with a tenth-placed finish at 2022 French Grand Prix.
After enduring a difficult Qualifying session which left him 15th on the grid once penalties for Carlos Sainz and Kevin Magnussen were applied, Stroll gambled on an one-stop strategy of medium tyres until Lap 18, before running used hard tyres until the checkered flag.
The Canadian however had to survive a last lap scrap for the final point against teammate – Sebastian Vettel to secure the final point in tenth place, following a last corner banging of wheels with both drivers escaping with minimal damage.
Post-race, Stroll admitted that he believes that he had managed to create “some momentum in the closing stages” as he attempted to catch McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo for ninth, which underlined Aston Martin’s trend of looking “more competitive” in race pace than Qualifying.
Stroll also explained what happened between him and Vettel at the very final corner of the last lap as he said: “I had a snap on the exit on the last lap because I was struggling with my tyres at the very end.
“It was a good fight with Sebastian, but the most important thing was to bring a point home for the team today.”
Vettel meanwhile eventually settled for 11th after enduring what he described as a “frustrating” race after getting “stuck in traffic for the whole race” on his one-stop strategy despite needing more tyre grip.
The four-time champion also offered his take on his final corner clash with Stroll as he added: “I had a chance to pass Lance on the final lap; I was a little bit faster but we are not fighting over one point – it is the same net result for the team. It does not make any difference.”
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