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Lance narrowly missed out on the top 10 in Formula One’s inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in a stop-start race in Jeddah.
Lance started the race from 18th on a new set of Medium tyres and made up two positions when the race got underway, jostling with Williams team-mates George Russell and Nicholas Latifi.
On lap 10 of the 50, the team took advantage of an early Safety Car caused by Mick Schumacher by pitting Lance onto the Hard tyres.
Due to required barrier repairs caused the accident, however, the race was red-flagged on lap 14.
When the race was resumed with a second standing start, Lance lined up in 19th and made a strong getaway to make up five positions, advancing to 14th.
An incident elsewhere in the field, however, resulted in a second red flag period, forcing the field back into the pit lane.
During the red flag, Lance switched onto a set of used Medium tyres and resumed the race from 16th with a third standing start.
When the race got underway again he steadily advanced through the field while attempting to hold off McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Unfortunately, the Canadian was unable to keep the Brit at bay as he crossed the finish line in 11th, narrowly missing out on points.
Lance Stroll – Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team Driver
“It was a shame not to get points, especially because we came so close in the end in P11. The first red flag went against us because we had pitted earlier, but we were able to make a couple of very good restarts following the stoppages to climb to P10. We initially pulled a good gap to [Lando] Norris behind, but overtaking proved easier than expected and we just lacked a little bit of pace on the straights, so we could not hold onto P10. I was optimistic because the balance of the car felt good, but P11 was probably the maximum in the end.”
F1 heads to Yas Marina Circuit for the final race of the season with FP1 for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix getting underway on Friday, December 10 at 9:30 GMT.
Losail International Circuit
