Lance Stroll reacts to reputation-saving display and overtaking both Mercedes

• F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix 2023 - Race Results from Round 20

Lance Stroll finished fifth in Brazil, behind the scrapping duo of Alonso and Perez.

It was a welcome reprieve for the under-pressure Aston Martin driver whose future is constantly the source of questioning in the F1 paddock.

“Really good day,” Stroll said to Sky Sports after his second-best result of the season. 

“The car was good today, quicker than Ferrari and quicker than Mercedes.

“A shame about the starts, I couldn’t get off the line. After the red flag I really struggled with wheel spin, the Mercedes and Red Bulls really swallowed me up.

“After that, I felt really good. I passed Russell, Hamilton, pulled away from Sainz…”

A major highlight for Stroll would have been passing both Mercedes.

“Really positive day,” he said.

“We definitely learned a lot in the past few weeks. 

“Really happy with the result. We had better pace than we’ve had since the beginning of the year.”

Stroll has been forced to deal with reports that he has become unmotivated while competing for the team which his billionaire father owns, and even a claim that his mother wants him to quit F1.

But he answered critics with a performance worthy of being teammates with the esteemed Alonso.