Montreal native Lance Stroll has spoken about the “special” atmosphere Formula 1 creates at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The circuit built on the Ile de Notre Dame first welcomed the sport in 1978 and has only failed to feature twice on the calendar in the four decades since.
And while it was the Villeneuve family of Gilles and his son Jacques that helped attract interest to the sport, for the 20-year-old there was only one man who inspired him.
“I was born in Montreal and grew up there so it’s always a special week,” he said. “Nothing beats your home race.
“When I was a kid, the Canadian Grand Prix was always the race I went to with my dad. I remember being five or six years old and being there when Michael [Schumache] was winning. He was a real hero of mine.”
Now on the track himself, Stroll scored his first F1 points in Montreal with Williams in 2017 and does believe the local support gives him a boost.
“The F1 race is a big deal for Montreal,” he added.
“You can feel the excitement and buzz in the city all week, and I really enjoy and feed off the 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.”
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As for his team, Racing Point has performed well in recent years and teammate Sergio Perez hopes the high-speed nature of the circuit can help them again.
“We’ve had a tough couple of races in Spain and Monaco, but I feel more positive about our chances in Canada,” said the Mexican.
“I can see how much effort is going on behind the scenes to bring performance to the car and I believe we are moving in a good direction.
“Montreal is a very unique track all about straights and high-speed chicanes, which I think will suit our car.
“I think we can be competitive there considering the strengths of our car and the priority is to pick up points to maintain our position in the championship.”
