Toto Wolff – “I expect Lance Stroll to be the next Canadian in F1”

Montreal’s Lance Stroll is currently contesting his second season in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. He leads the drivers point standings and has recently signed a contract with Williams F1 Team as a development driver.

Meeting the press Friday morning in the paddock of the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, Toto Wolff had very good words about the young Canadian.

“Lance [Stroll] has the benefit of having gone to classes with the help of his father. The downside is people don’t recognize how good he really is,” Wolff said when meeting Canadian journalists.

“He has just won two Formula 3 races at Spielberg with extraordinary dominance. When you speak to the boy who’s only 17 years old, you tend to believe you’re taking to a 35-year-old. His maturity and his intelligence are going to take him far. I’m sure this kid will be the next Canadian in Formula 1, and it has nothing to do with his father’s wealth, because the boy can drive.”

Wolff added that his driving abilities are not his only asset.

“He’s also working extremely hard. The intelligence and his maturity are really outstanding. I never saw that with a 17-year-old. For example, Max Verstappen acts more like a teenager. In the car, he’s extremely good, but when you interact with him, he’s a kid. But with Lance, his maturity is very surprising.”

Wolff added that he doesn’t feel that his entourage should push hard to see him in an F1 car as soon as next year, especially not in a top team.

“He has plenty of time ahead of him. It would be a mistake to put him in a Mercedes or in a Ferrari right at the beginning. He needs to learn the ropes first. He has plenty of time to learn,” Wolff said.