Lance Stroll has dismissed suggestions that the presence of an experienced driver in its race line-up would have aided Williams’ prospects in Formula 1 this season.
Williams is in the midst of one of the worst seasons in its history, having held last in the Constructors’ Championship for much of the year, taking points in just two events.
Stroll, 19, is in his second year of Formula 1 while team-mate Sergey Sirotkin is one of two rookies on the grid.
Williams last year fielded Stroll alongside veteran Felipe Massa, but the Canadian youngster does not feel that an experienced driver would have helped in 2018.
“I think I have answered that question a few times this year, I wouldn’t say so,” said Stroll when such a notion was put to him.
“Generally we are struggling in different areas this year and it’s been since day one with how the car has been behaving and the development throughout the year so I would say we are facing other challenges this year.
“If I take for example for McLaren, I am not in a position to comment on what they’re doing but if you look at Alonso, he has a lot of experience and [in Belgium] they were struggling the same way we were.
“We were almost the same pace in qualifying so you could say the same about them.
“I am just putting an example, I am not commenting in anyway about what they’re doing as I am not in a position to do that but that in my eyes says it all.”
Stroll, who placed ninth at Monza, also stressed that he has made gains this year, swatting aside suggestions that losing Massa as a benchmark makes a comparison difficult.
“I am still looking at some data, mine from last year and how I drove the car last year and how I managed tyres and other things, and I can feel generally that I am more complete this year,” he said.
“I am more on top of the car, I have a better understanding of how to get the most out of the car in qualifying and the race.
“Like with any team-mate, we are always trying to work together, get the most out of each other and pushing each other – it’s what a team-mate is there for. I think the same kind of concept this year.”
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