Quebecer Lance Stroll had a good day in the office on Saturday during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, who will start ninth at Spielberg.
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The Aston Martin driver narrowly entered Q3 and scored 10e Best time, as he was noticeably beaten by the sudden George Russell (Williams). However, Stroll earned a spot under the penalty imposed on his teammate, Sebastian Vettel.
“We can be very happy with our qualifications today [samedi] Starting in the top 10 gives us a good chance of getting the points tomorrow, said Stroll, quoted on his team’s website.
This is the first time this season that Aston Martins have reached the third wave of the playoffs. The German did well with the eighth-fastest time, but was penalized by three places after hurting Fernando Alonso (Alpine) as the latter completed a fast lap.
“It’s a shame that it has an impact on Fernando’s role [qui partira 14e] In Q2, Vettel apologized. Yesterday all the riders agreed to slow in the fjord between Turns 8 and 9 which I did but the other riders went over speed before slowing down on the last turn which is not allowed. […] It’s a strange and difficult situation to avoid.”
Verstappen is still in control
On a short track of the Red Bull Ring, Stroll still ceded just 0.9sec to the first place holder, Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull). The domestic favorite will start against the peloton for the third time in a row.
“Looking back, I think we could have started a little higher. The car did really well in the second quarter and the laps were going really well, but it was a bit difficult to make good runs in the third quarter,” said Stroll, watching the traffic on the track. Little Austrian.
The drivers’ championship leader will be followed by Verstappen’s Lando Norris (McLaren), who has come a short distance from achieving his first career position. Sergio Perez, who also plays for Red Bull, will start third alongside Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).
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