I won championships and races and earned my super-licence to get to Formula One. Of course, I was very fortunate to be in the position I was in, but at the same time, I delivered.
— Lance Stroll
Around 16 years old, when I was in Formula 3 and looking at potential options for the future, that's when I realized that Formula One was in the picture. But to be honest, I really just took it year by year throughout my karting years and stuff.
I won F4, and I won F3 - F3 by, I believe, the biggest margin in history and as one of the youngest drivers in history. I'm just pointing out facts. I'm not bragging or anything.
I won Formula Four. I went to New Zealand and won the Toyota Racing Series. I won the F3 European championship in 2016.
I have a small entourage of people who I trust. I value their opinion on my career. And I stick to those voices. The rest is just background noise.
Motor sport is very expensive. It's unfortunate, because you see so much talent that never makes it to the top due to the lack of financial support.
You want to focus on the fans and on the positive energy that you receive from them.
I don't want to think results, I don't want to think positions. I just want to come in, do my job, and we'll see where we end up. I think that's the best way to look at it, because then you start focusing on the outcome rather than focusing on the work that it takes to get to that outcome.
After a lot of laps, you start to get dizzy.
I don't really listen to Jacques Villeneuve anymore.
I still have my life outside of Formula One. It has always been the same.
I think if you don't touch the wall in Monaco, you're not on the limit.
I think the right way to work is by focusing on each task at hand and then move forward.
To the general public, it's the nature of the sport that it's a car-dominant sport.
I have my little entourage of who I travel with, some friends and people who help me more technically on the track. Obviously, my engineers who I work closely with, we are all in the ship together.
In F1, nobody is here to help you, and you have to make your place, and that is done by everyone individually.
I come from a background that, when I win, people try to put me down, and when I lose, people try to put me down. I accept that, and I actually find it kind of funny.
I have had this opportunity to go on a journey and experience the ride of racing cars, of different championships around the world, go-karts, F3, F4, and now F1. It's been so amazing to be able to experience that. There have been bad days, good days, and it's been a great ride.
I love racing.
All I can do is my talking on the track, and I believe that when they look at the facts, people can judge for themselves if it's good or bad.
Whether my team-mate is someone with 15 years' experience or someone of one year's experience, my approach doesn't change.
It's an incredible opportunity to work alongside my father. We have the same ambitions, the same vision.
I've been very fortunate to have had good financial support.
There are people who are hating you more because of where you are coming from. People like the 'he comes from nothing and made it to F1' story. I know that, but I just do my thing; I focus on my job.
I had people put my feet on the ground for me and say, 'No, you don't know everything, and you need to learn this and this and this,' and it took me time to realize that.
I come from money. I'm not going to deny that.
It was unbelievable: competing in my home town at a grand prix I was watching when I was three years old. It was massive and a dream come true.
I just have to take it race by race, focus on what you can do, and the rest is out of your control.
Williams has a long history of nurturing young drivers at the start of their F1 careers.
I do have my targets in terms of what I need to improve on.
The more experience you have, the less is needed, but I feel like I have good support around me and people helping me to be the best I can be.
I think Formula One is - there's a lot of differences from track to track, grip levels, tyre compound, so you always have to press the reset button and work from scratch again.
You always want someone pushing you all the time who is competitive and at the top of their game so you can become a better driver.
I believe I have earned my shot in F1. I have won F3, and we all know F3 is a very high level.
I never really looked at Formula One like that was the long-term goal. I obviously dreamed, and my aspirations were to get to Formula One, but I really started thinking about it in Formula 3 at 16, 17 years old, and I saw that it was right in front of me.
Money can't buy wins.
There will always be jealous people and haters: people who assume that if they were in your shoes, they could do what you're doing. That's just the world we live in.
I think I've done a fair bit of my talking on the track over the course of the years, leading up to Formula One and Formula One.
Everyone has a job to do; that's how I see it.
If you focus on the negative side, it just brings your confidence down.
The haters will always hate.
Nervous can be good. It means I'm ready to go.
Reaching F1 was always the ultimate goal, I suppose, ever since driving a go-kart my father had bought me for my fifth birthday.
Finishing on the podium in my first year, I never expected that. It just fell into place.
I am focused on what I am doing. I am enjoying my time in Formula One; I am enjoying the experience.
Of course we go to Montreal to work as hard as we can and do the best we can, the same way we go everything, but I think if we always think we need to score points, we start forgetting about the stuff we have to do to get there.
I know the Paul Ricard track from when I drove in Formula 3.
F1 is a team sport, not an individual sport.
I'm feeling better every race; it's just about staying in it and continuing to push to learn, and I don't doubt it will come.
At the end of the day, you drive your car, and that is what you focus on with yourself and your side of the garage, but of course it is always good to have a good relationship. You never want to have a negative battle or the team splitting up in any way.
