Stroll beats Verstappen's youngest-ever front-row F1 start record
Williams rookie Lance Stroll will become the youngest-ever front-row F1 starter in Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, and says breaking another record “feels good”.
Stroll – who became the youngest-ever podium finisher in Baku this year – was strong throughout the qualifying sessions, and was fourth fastest when it mattered in Q3.
With Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo taking grid penalties, Stroll is elevated to the front row and will start alongside Lewis Hamilton, who also broke the record for all-time pole positions.
Stroll beats the record of youngest front-row starter Max Verstappen by 23 days from last year's Belgian Grand Prix.
"It's a couple of 'youngest-evers' this season now, so it feels good," said Stroll. "[The] podium at Baku was great, and now starting on the front row here in Monza is great. Just keep it going."
About his qualifying session, Stroll added: "I just put it together there at the end. Throughout the whole sessions I knew we were competitive, I had an idea where the best grip was under braking and the high-speed corners, Lesmo 1 and 2.
"I just built up to it throughout the sessions, and in Q3 I put it all together and it worked out."
Stroll believes that the recent qualifying woes for Williams spurred him on, as rain levelled the playing field in terms of his team's lack of downforce.
"We know it's been really difficult in the last few races, easy to make mistakes because we're almost over-pushing the car, knowing it's tricky for us to get out of Q1 sometimes," he said.
"Today, everything was under control and we were able to go from the back of the grid to the front today."
Share Or Save This Story
Mika Hakkinen on his darkest day in F1
Dillon: Spotter was “wrong” to shout “wreck him!” before Hamlin clash
Hamlin: NASCAR stripping Dillon of win would be “warranted”
“Even faster than Ferrari” – Fernando Alonso grabs Aston Martin’s best result of F1 2026
Lance Stroll: Honda F1 engine makes Aston Martin slower by two seconds a lap
The expectation on Aston Martin's shoulders as it prepares to debut its Hungarian GP updates
James Vowles explains request for review of F1 cost cap
Williams Racing is suing a local garage owner for £1million
How Fernando Alonso scored ninth at Zandvoort - and how Alex Albon lost a similar payday
"We're stuck with what we've got" – Why Kimi Antonelli can't revert to previous Mercedes spec in Singapore
Honda “super bad” in Indonesian GP practice after falling behind 2025 pace
Max Verstappen’s one-lap gamble – and what Pirelli reveals about his Singapore sprint pole
In effort to avoid the rain, NASCAR changes practice and qualifying schedule for Charlotte
Why Red Bull's 'crazy' power unit success matters so much for F1
No denying it now – the one reason why F1’s ‘horrible’ start in Malaysia could be a good thing
The greatest F1 campaigns with no wins
Three kings: F1's generational stars shone at Sepang
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments