Lance Stroll assesses his season, and throws out the haters

Lance Stroll gave himself a "8.5 out of 10" for his rookie F1 season which saw the young Canadian lambasted early on by his critics.

Seen by many as Formula 1's resident 'rich kid', Stroll was put under pressure from the outset by those who believed he only owed his plum seat at Williams to the billions of his fashion mogul father, Lawrence Stroll.

The 19-year-old weathered the storm however, and focused on learning the job at hand, with a very satisfactory result according to his own assessment.

"Looking at the season, I have to say there have been very challenging times. Especially at the beginning," said Stroll.

"There were also some great times. I was on the podium. I was on the front row."

• Villeneuve: 'A slower team mate would help Stroll'

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport asked Stroll to give himself a mark for his season out of 10.

"There is always room for improvement," he answered.

"So it's not 10. I would say a strong 8.5. We had a really good season, scoring a lot of points. A 9 would be too good though."

Qualifying emerged as a weak spot in his maiden year, and Stroll admitted there was indeed room for improvement.

"I can improve everywhere. Many little things. I was often unlucky in qualifying, but other times I can certainly improve myself as well.

"I can certainly become a more complete and better driver. But it takes time and experience. This was just my first season," he added.

As for his relentless detractors, Stroll says he just shut out the noise and focused on his self-belief.

"I don't focus on what is said or written about me," he insists.

"I do not read the newspapers or listen to the jealousy and the haters. It's been important to keep a cool head."

"I won everything until Formula 1. I have proven to myself and the world that I can win races and championships.

"This is just a new job and a new series. I have to adapt and to grow."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter