F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Stroll making the most of 'slowest car' in the field

Lance Stroll believes he is making the most of Williams' under-performing FW41, a car that that he has labeled the "slowest" in the 2018 field.

The young Canadian soldiered on around Sakhir last Sunday, keeping himself out of trouble but racing a country mile away from the usual mid-field contenders.

At the end of the day, he's only consolation was beating home team mate Sergey Sirotkin.

"I was happy with my race," Stroll said after Bahrain. "Obviously I wanted a better result."

"We currently have the slowest car, and I am confident I have made the most of it. In the current situation, it's the best I could do.

"My consolation is to have beaten my teammate," he added.

Technical boss Paddy Lowe is currently at a loss to explain the exact fundamental problem hiding under the skin of Williams' FW41.

"We did not have the pace to do other than fight amongst ourselves," he said.

"We need to do an examination and find solutions, even if we have little time."

Former F1 driver Mika Salo, who works closely with Sirotkin and his backers at SMP Racing, suggests Williams' woes are centered around how its car fails to perform on Pirelli's sift compound tyres.

"On paper and in aerodynamic numbers, the car looks pretty good. Much better than last year," said the Finn.

"Yes, the team needs to find something to improve. Luckily they have good engineers like Paddy Lowe and Rob Smedley.

"If they can't find the solutions, no one can."

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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.

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