Father, Williams say Stroll deserves F1 seat

The father of Lance Stroll has defended his son from the critics by claiming that the 18-year-old fully deserves a seat in Formula 1. Stroll claimed his first points in Formula 1 on Sunday in Montreal by crossing the line in ninth place.

The Canadian has faced a lot of criticism in his career so far as he has failed to match the pace of his veteran teammate Felipe Massa. He also has been unable to shrug off the suggestions that he is simply just a pay driver.

However, Stroll senior said: "He has just done his seventh race in F1, so everyone has to be patient," he told Le Journal de Montreal. "I think my son is where he should be right now. You saw the races just as I did, and you know that he had some bad luck. But he did an extraordinary race here."

Clair Williams, deputy team principal of the Williams team has also defended Stroll and praised his drive on Sunday:  "The most important thing is that he did it himself," she told La Presse newspaper. "It was not a result by default but because of several overtakes. The skills he demonstrated did not look like a rookie. He has proved he deserves his place in F1 and silenced his detractors," 

Fergal Walsh