Stroll thinks he is a 'completely different driver' from debut

Lance Stroll insists that he is a 'completely different driver' compared to when he made his debut at the Australian Grand Prix last year, and has cited the exposure and competition with the best drivers in the world as a major factor in his improvement.

The Canadian won the European Formula 3 championship the year before his debut and was quickly snapped up by Williams to partner veteran driver, Felipe Massa for the 2017 campaign.

He has come on leaps and bounds since his F1 debut in Melbourne, and Stroll thinks competing at the highest level has changed his performance 'dramatically'.

"I think over the course of the year I've changed dramatically as a driver. I've learned a tremendous amount, I've gained a lot of experience competing at the highest level with the best drivers in the world in F1," Stroll said.

"You experience all kinds of different emotions. You face adversity, and I've experienced standing on a podium and starting on a front row.

The young driver started slowly in the season, but gained points in his home Grand Prix in Canada and improved from there. He thinks experiencing new tracks is vital to his development.

"It has taught me so much about being a racing driver, travelling the world and racing all these different kinds of tracks against the best drivers in the world," Stroll continued.

"I've really just had to learn and adapt more than ever before, because there's so much to do in F1.

"There's so much to be on top of as a driver. It really requires perfection just to walk out of a weekend with a decent result. I definitely feel like compared to where I was in Melbourne 2017, I'm a completely different driver."