MONTREAL — For the first time in his career, Lance Stroll crossed the finish line without earning points at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Unable to propel himself into the battle for a top-10 finish, the Montreal-born Formula One driver finished 17th on Sunday after receiving a 10-second penalty for blocking Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
The Aston Martin driver raced in the Canadian GP for the seventh time. Previously, he’d always found a way to shine and earn points, except in 2018 when he retired after an accident during the first lap.
“From the back, it was always going to be difficult today,” Stroll said. “Just a challenging day. I have no positives to take away from this race.”
Stroll was starting from 17th position on the grid.
A red flag during the first qualifying session Saturday cost him a chance to try a lap on medium tires. He believes that’s where he lost any chance of a good result this weekend.
“One hundred per cent,” he said on Sunday.
After sliding to 18th position at the start, Stroll never found his rhythm during his first stint on hard tires. He finally caught up and overtook Gasly after a pit stop.
The Alpine driver, however, charged back on the main straight and tried to get his place back. Stroll left him little space, and Gasly drove into the grass to avoid contact.
The stewards issued a 10-second penalty to Stroll, who served it during his second pit stop. He returned to the track in last place and was unable to catch up to the pack before the late safety car.
“I have to look at it. I don’t know,” Stroll said of the penalty.
Stroll’s teammate, Fernando Alonso, finished seventh. The 43-year-old Spaniard was pleased to grab points for the second straight race after his car received an upgrade package at last month’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
Stroll, meanwhile, admitted that he’s struggled to see any improvements in the car’s performance.
“I don’t really feel any difference in the car,” he said. “Maybe he’s just been getting good results and he feels good in the car because of that. But I felt pretty slow today.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2025.
Tommy Thurber, The Canadian Press
