Lance Stroll leaves Ferrari for Williams
After being a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Canadian Lance Stroll decided to become a development driver at Williams.
At just 17 years old, the Quebecer will therefore join his second F1 team, having been supported by Ferrari since last season and his title in Italian Formula 4.
For Williams, the aim is to achieve the same development that was done with Valtteri Bottas, which allowed him to make his F1 debut and become one of the main attractions in the transfer market this season.
Thus Claire Williams, the director of the eponymous team, stated: « At Williams, we want to use all our resources and expertise to help young talented drivers reach their potential. We have many successes in this area as we supported Valtteri Bottas to move from the role of development driver to that of racing driver and one of the leading recognized talents in Formula One. »
This year, he participated in the European F3 Championship, where he finished 5th. He plans to do a second season in this championship, with the title in his sights this time. But his new role will also allow him to spend a lot of time in the home simulator. He is also expected to take on various roles within the factory, which will complement his learning of race engineering and marketing.
It will be interesting to see how the newcomer positions themselves in relation to Alex Lynn, who joined the team in the same role at the beginning of the season.
From our special correspondent in Abu Dhabi