Lance Stroll has revealed he seeks inspiration from current four-time world champion Lewis Hamilton when dealing with those who doubt his ability.
The young Canadian has become a divisive figure among many in his first 12 months in Formula 1, with a difficult pre-season and subsequent tricky start to his rookie year only toughening the stance of those who see the 19-year-old as a ‘pay driver’.
Though he would show signs of his potential in Baku and in the wet at Monza last year, some also see Stroll as quite arrogant, particularly after recently suggesting his 2017 Williams teammate Felipe Massa was not much of a mentor to him last season.
“I stay in my little bubble – that is what I try and do,” he was quoted as saying by Crash.net. “There is always noise out there and distractions, but you just have to block all that noise out. People will say things. The crucial thing for me is that I stick to my job.
“I believe I have earned my shot in F1,” Stroll continued. “I have won F3 and we all know F3 is a very high level. I come from a background that when I win, people try to put me down, and when I lose, people try to put me down. I accept that and I actually find it kind of funny.”
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With Massa retired and a year of experience under his belt, the Williams driver is now expected to step up his game in 2018 and potentially lead the Grove-based team alongside another man looking to make his mark in Sergey Sirotkin.
Considering how he will look to do that, it was then Stroll looked to another polarising figure in Hamilton.
“You saw in the title race last year how well Lewis handles pressure, (Sebastian) Vettel folded, but Lewis was able to handle that expectation,” he surmised.
“His car wasn’t always easy to drive and Mercedes struggled at a few races but he still managed to get the most out of it and score points when he had to.
“Hats off to him, he completely deserves the success he has had. He is extremely talented and I hope I can have half the success he’s had in my career.”
