Lance stages strong recovery to score points in Bahrain

Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team driver, Lance Stroll, showcased a fighting performance at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix by staging a strong recovery drive to finish inside the top 10 following early contact.

Having scored points in two of the past three Bahrain Grands Prix, alongside finishing third on the circuit’s shorter outer configuration used in the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, Bahrain is a venue that Lance has traditionally performed well at in the past.

In the lead up to 2024’s F1 season opener, Lance enjoyed a promising pre-season test at the track and continued to refine the performance of his AMR24 throughout practice on Thursday.

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Practice

Opting to save the preferred Soft and Hard compound tyres for later in the weekend, Lance ran solely on the Mediums in FP1 to set the 14th-fastest time but improved his performance in FP2 which took place in cooler evening conditions.

By focusing on long-distance running and Qualifying simulations, the Canadian ended the session in eighth and confirmed his pace in FP3 with another performance which was worthy of the top 10.

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Qualifying

Lance maintained this level of form in Qualifying and by producing a competitive 1:29.965 run – the second-fastest lap of Q1 – Lance secured his place in Q2 with the ultimate target of progressing to the pole position shootout.

Unfortunately, traffic during his final push lap in Q2 prevented Lance from advancing to Q3, with the 25-year-old missing out on the top 10 by only 0.078 seconds.

WATCH: 2024 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING HIGHLIGHTS

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Grand Prix

This left Lance starting Saturday’s Grand Prix from 12th on the grid, from where he was tipped into a spin by Nico Hülkenberg mere metres into the race.

Despite falling to the back of the field, Lance quickly started to recover and set out to stage a competitive fight through the pack, performing his first of what would be many overtakes by passing Valtteri Bottas.

Facing ground to make up, Lance used strategy to his advantage and was one of the first drivers to pit, swapping his race-starting Softs for a fresh set of Hard tyres on lap nine which he used to maximum pace and efficiency.

After carving his way through the field, Lance was on the verge of entering the top 10 before completing his second and final stop on lap 27 where he fitted a new set of Hard tyres which would carry him to the chequered flag.

Lance entered the points-paying positions late in the race and took home 10th. His season will continue on March 7-9 with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

WATCH: 2024 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX RACE HIGHLIGHTS

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Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team Driver

It feels good to score a point after running last after the first lap of the race. I had a good getaway off the line, but then got tagged by Nico [Hülkenberg] and fell to the back of the pack. I knew it would be a long race from there, but I focused on managing the tyres and made a few passes on track. The team gave me a good strategy, too. We know we've got some work to do as we develop the AMR24 and unlock some more pace, but it's a long season and we’ll keep pushing.