F1
Laurence Edmondson, F1 Editor 7y

Lance Stroll sees Williams teammate Felipe Massa as a mentor

Formula 1

Formula One rookie Lance Stroll says his Williams teammate Felipe Massa will be a mentor figure during his debut season in the sport.

The 18-year-old was originally signed to drive alongside Valtteri Bottas in 2017, effectively replacing Massa at the British team, but when Bottas was signed by Mercedes over the winter, Williams called on Massa to abandon his retirement plans and return to F1. The team has made no secret of its need to have an experienced driver alongside Stroll this year and the Canadian is looking forward to learning from his new teammate.

"I really am looking forward to Felipe being a mentor for me," he said. "Of course we are competitors and we want to beat each other, but at the same time I think he has a lot of respect as a driver and we all know that he's very well respected throughout the paddock, he's a really nice guy and he's a team player.

"That's really all you ask for being in a team -- you want someone who is a team player and someone who will help the team go forward and not create a problem on both sides of the garage."

Stroll said he plans to work with Massa to help improve the team rather than pursue individual glory.

"I think it's really important to have two drivers that want to push the team in the right direction rather than fighting against the other. It's obviously good to have that competitiveness in the team and an urge to beat the driver next to you, but at the same time I think we are going to respect each other, we are going to want the best for the team and we are going to help the team in the best way possible."

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