Lance Stroll: Seventh ‘what we were expecting’ at Monza

Williams driver Lance Stroll says seventh place at the Italian Grand Prix was “what we were expecting”, but celebrated a “very positive” race.

The Canadian rookie lined up on the front row of the grid alongside polesitter Lewis Hamilton, having become the youngest ever driver to secure a front row starting position.

The wet conditions in qualifying opened up the opportunity for Stroll, but dry weather in the race meant he was unable to hold onto the position as Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull fought back.

He fell to third at the start and gradually slipped down the order as faster cars moved through the field, eventually finishing just behind Esteban Ocon.

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“I am very happy with the race and I think it was a good one,” Stroll said. “I really enjoyed myself.

“It was a bit of a shame at the start, as we lost position to [Esteban] Ocon, as [Lewis] Hamilton had a bad start and defended, so I had to back off.

“We were in P3 and then both Ferraris and the Mercedes of [Valtteri] Bottas overtook.

“I then had a big flat spot at the end of the race, so started to lose time to Ocon and then was defending from Felipe. All in all, the race was very positive.

“I finished in P7, which was what we were expecting.”