Stroll is boosted because 'nothing beats your home race'!

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Lance Stroll heads into his third Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, and Montreal obviously holds a special place in the Racing Point driver's heart.

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was the site of Stroll's first top-ten finish, achieved with Williams in 2017.

While that's perhaps the Canadian's best memory of his home race, Stroll harbors many others.

"Nothing beats your home race!" he enthuses. "I was born in Montreal and grew up there so it’s always a really special week.

"When I was a kid, the Canadian Grand Prix was always the race I went to with my Dad.

"I can remember being five or six years old and being there when Michael [Schumacher] was winning. He was a real hero of mine.

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"The F1 race is a big deal for Montreal. You can feel the excitement and buzz in the city all week, and I really enjoy and feed off that atmosphere.

"Canadians love F1 and the race has become a tradition for the city. The whole weekend feels like a festival and I get huge support from the fans.

"Seeing the Canadian flags in the grandstands and knowing that the crowd is behind you feels very special."

Unfortunately, Racing Point's recent lack of form hasn't allowed Stroll to fulfill his ambition of becoming a regular points scorer in 2019, at least not yet.

"I scored points in Australia, both cars were in the points in Baku and close to scoring in China, but the car wasn't as competitive in Spain and Monaco," Stroll told Montreal's La Presse.

"Our performances vary a lot from one circuit to the other. Sometimes we are further forward, sometimes not. But it's very tight between five or six teams in the mid-field.

"We're there, among them, and we're not missing much to achieve better results. And we're just one third of the way through a long season."

In the long term, Stroll obviously hopes to piggyback on his father's ambition of taking Racing Point to the top of the grid.

But the 20-year-old isn't dismissing a visit to the podium as early as this season.

"There's really a lot of energy in this team, and a lot of excitement following the management changes," he adds.

"They've always achieved great results with limited resources and I'm convinced we'll have the opportunity to fight for a spot on the podium this season."

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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.