Stroll has targets to end Q1 elimination run

Lance Stroll has been backed to put an end to his struggles in qualifying by Sportpesa Racing Point technical director Andy Green.

Stroll has not made it out of Q1 in any of the nine grands prix this year, and his run of early exits stretches back 13 events.

Team-mate Sergio Perez, by contrast, made Q3 in Australia and Azerbaijan, with four Q2 appearances also to his name.

Stroll has often undone the damage of qualifying in the races, with a trio of ninth-place finishes to his name, and Green sees positive signs that the Canadian can put to good use in the coming weeks and end his drought.

"There's no denying his Saturday afternoon performance, he'd say the same, he struggles on a Saturday afternoon but we have to put it in perspective," said Green.

"He's in a very early part of his career and he's up against a very mature, experienced driver on the other side of the garage and he's learning a lot.

"In each race and in each session we give him targets and what to look for and how to improve and it's small margins every time – but he understands it.

"He's an incredibly talented driver. We've seen that numerous times – and it's a case of just getting the experience.

"And once he gets the experience and gets the confidence, we'll see him close the gap to Checo and potentially take a leap ahead of him.

"So, we've got every confidence he can do it – it just takes a bit of time."