Stroll against hiring new driver coach

Lance Stroll says he is against recruiting a new driver coach to help him in his rookie Formula One season after a difficult start to the campaign.

Stroll suffered at the hands of the Monte Carlo street circuit for both pace and performance from his Williams FW40 - while crashing during free practice two - as he was eventually forced to retire from the race with a brake issue while running in 15th place.

After failing to finish in four of his opening six races, while his 11th place in Russia represents his best finish so far, Stroll has been quizzed about getting extra help having already used Felipe Massa as a driver marker at Williams in 2017.

Stroll has shot down the idea of employing a new driver coach and feels his current set-up of support will be able to pull him through a tricky start to his F1 career.

"I have my little entourage of who I travel with, some friends and people who help me more technically on the track," Stroll said. "Obviously, my engineers who I work closely with, we are all in the ship together.

"I have my crew and I am happy with at the moment so I don't really think I would go searching for anyone else. But I definitely believe in having people around you to help you move forward."

Stroll was given the example of Fernando Alonso hiring a driver coach for his maiden outing at the Indianapolis 500, while riding coaches are a common feature in MotoGP to help riders regain a competitive edge, but the Canadian teenager has reiterated his faith in his current set-up.

"Everyone has their own way of doing it but I think it's important to have help around you," he said. "F1 is a team sport, not an individual sport.

"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. This year is new for me so I definitely know that I need people around me to help guide me in the right direction."