Grosjean not surprised by Stroll's struggles

Romain Grosjean says that he is not surprised to see Williams driver Lance Stroll struggle in Formula 1's new generation of cars. Stroll is yet to score a point and has been unable to match the pace of teammate Felipe Massa, who has collected 20 points so far.

Stroll was announced as a 2017 Williams driver last year after winning the Formula 3 European Championship in dominating fashion. With the 2017 Formula 1 cars being much more difficult to drive due to the downforce levels, Grosjean says that miracles can't be expected from a rookie.

"It's even more difficult for him than I thought," the French driver said in Montreal. "The cars are extremely fast, and much faster than last year. And they are much more difficult to drive. Now, there is a gap of about 20 seconds between the lap of a F3 and an F1. And that's enormous."

With the 2017 cars notably faster in corners compared to cars of recent years, Grosjean was asked if he expects the same time difference in Montreal on a track that consists of long straights.

"That's a good question," Grosjean admits, when asked if the cars will be three seconds per lap faster around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. "On paper I would say yes, but we do now have a lot more aerodynamic drag. So on the long straight lines, we will suffer. However, the first corner will be extraordinary. We will brake later and approach it with much more speed than before. It's going to be very exciting."

Fergal Walsh