Impressive Stroll rolls back car set-up to shine in Baku qualy

©WRI2

Lance Stroll put in another impeccable performance in qualifying today, finishing 8th and beating team mate Felipe Massa for the first time this season.

The 18-year-old rookie has mastered the tricky Baku circuit with ease since he kicked off his race weekend, his confidence and form boosted by his performance in Canada two weeks ago.

"It's been a great weekend so far," Stroll enthused.

"Jumping into the car in FP1 I felt really confident immediately with the track, the balance, everything, it all came together. Today was obviously a great day.

"I just missed out a bit in Q3 compared to my Q2 lap, with the track temp dropping. Just that one-push lap I didn't feel like I was able to get the tyres working perfectly and it was a bit of a scruffy lap from my side."

While the Williams driver continues to mature, learning with each outing, Stroll also feels his performance has benefitted from the team rolling back its set-up configuration to where it was previously.

"There are a lot of thing to it, but this weekend we came to where we were with the set-up a few races ago, when we were more competitive, in China and Bahrain.

"We kind of drifted away from that to see if I liked something different. And now we've kind of come back to it and I feel so much more confident and comfortable this weekend."

Hamilton beats Bottas to pole position in Baku

The young Canadian said he was still on a learning curve however and that Formula 1 was all about trial and error.

"At Williams we all discuss things together and then take the direction we think is right. When you're young in F1 and you're new to it, just like any championship you need to discover what is good for you.

"Sometimes it takes a couple weekends off where you should be and then you kind of come back and figure out what was better, and that's how it goes.

"We're only eight races in and this is hopefully a long-term project. And today I'm just happy with the result.

"Obviously the race is tomorrow, that's when we have to score points but I'm very happy."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.