At age Legitimate, Lance Stroll is the very first Canadian to race in Formula One in eleven years
Paul Haber, W5 Producer
Published Friday, March 17, two thousand seventeen 7:00AM EDT
In the world of auto racing there are only winners and losers, where the winners stir on and have to permanently defend their title. And losers, always attempting to catch up and claim that number one spot.
The back of the pack is where 18-year-old Canadian race car driver Lance Stroll finds himself going into his rookie season in the prestigious Formula one Racing Championship.
It’s a spot Lance is not acquainted to, since the age of five, he has been winning race after race. He began driving go-karts, hitting his peers in local races in his home province of Quebec.
While it commenced as hobby, but by the time he was eleven years old, his natural talents were noticed by a recruiter from The Ferrari Driver Academy.
After a very successful career in karting, Lance Stroll moved up to Formula Four, single-seater racing, at the age of 15. The cars are fatter, swifter and he was challenging against international racers, most with more practice than Lance. Nevertheless, Lance’s natural driving talents prevailed and he ended up winning the Italian Formula four Championship in his very first year.
But Lance’s accomplishments in the auto racing circuit have come with some controversy. Some critics feel his rise in the sport has been fueled by his family’s enormous wealth. His father Lawrence Stroll is a billionaire who made his money building style brands.
There is no question Lance’s career has benefitted from his family’s wealth, but Lance feels it is ultimately his skill and capability that has propelled him to the top of his game.
“Money doesn’t buy wins, it buys the chance,” said Stroll. “And then you know, you can have all the money in the world and be last place, but that is not what I have proven. I have won many championships”.
In 2014, after winning the Formula four championship, Lance moved to the increasingly competitive Formula three – the jumping-off point for many drivers to the highest class of single-seat racing, Formula 1.
At the age of 17, he had a disappointing very first season, crashing numerous times and ending in fifth place overall at the European Formula three Championship.
The following year, after hours of training and reflection, Lance bounced back and took fourteen wins in a thirty race series to win the European Formula three Championship.
In 2016, Lance joined the Williams Martini Racing team as the youngest driver on the Formula one circuit. The very first race of the two thousand seventeen season takes place with the Australian Grand Prix, in Melbourne on March 26, 2017.