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Stroll responds to Mass criticism: Points “not possible” in this car

16:21, 26 Apr 2018

byAdam Newton

Lance Stroll has reacted to criticism from former team-mate Felipe Massa after the Brazilian legend accused Williams of choosing financial benefits over driver choice for 2018, saying that he believes he can compete in a better car.

The Formula One circus is in Azerbaijan this weekend, the scene of Stroll’s first and only podium finish, and he hit back at Massa when he was asked about the 9-time GP winner's criticism of his team.

Massa had an opportunity to finish on the podium in Baku or potentially even win the race before reliability troubles in a chaotic race last year, but Williams have been nowhere near the points this season, let alone the podium.

Stroll, when asked about Massa’s criticism, replied: “First of all, Felipe’s not here. He’s gone, he’s retired.

“Last time I checked, I finished one position behind Felipe. And not really using Felipe as a reference, using myself as a reference.”

Stroll also mentioned how the track could be a potential weakness for the team this weekend: “The nature of the circuit is very fast, lots of long straights. Those long straights were our strength last year, unfortunately a bit of a weakness this year.

“We’re aiming to cure some of those problems, and if we can do that, I definitely believe we can be much more competitive.”