F1 News: Lance Stroll calls for Aston Martin to continue "in the right direction"
Lance Stroll is pleased with Aston Martin's turnaround in 2022, calling for the British squad to carry its momentum over the winter and into next season.
The Canadian driver had a somewhat inconsistent year, only scoring consecutive points finishes on two occasions and often swinging from the front of the midfield to the back.
Aston Martin's initial lack of competitiveness was clear in the first two rounds, where the Silverstone-based team found itself battling with the Williams outside of the points.
Despite this tricky start, Aston made steady progress after securing their first points in Imola, with Sebastian Vettel's P6 in Baku indicative of their improved performance.
Lance Stroll was generally within touching distance of his teammate throughout the campaign, but costly errors and occasional lapses in concentration proved costly.
A poorly timed defensive manoeuvre in Austin cost Stroll the opportunity to secure a significant points haul for Aston Martin, whilst other opportunities, such as in Zandvoort, were missed.
Reflecting on his season, Stroll reviewed Aston Martin's progression:
"I think the guys have done a great job at improving the car. We've definitely made big steps in the right direction.
"It's just about... keeping on in that direction, really, in the future.
"I think it's all about having clean races. I mean, when I look back at the last few races, I think we missed out on the opportunity of points.
"Like in Austin, both cars were doing well... and then I had a crash, and then Seb had a pit-stop issue.
"So we lost a lot of points there... it's just about capitalising and scoring points."
With the 2023 season only months away, Stroll will count on his team to produce a competitive machine over the winter break.
Aston Martin has shown ambition in its goals since joining Formula 1, but the team must now demonstrate their aspirations for success with results on track.