Stroll concedes he needs to "sort things out" with qualifying pace

Racing Point driver Lance Stroll was left frustrated after another disappointing qualifying session, as the Canadian again wasn't able to get his car out of Q1, despite two other cars not even running.

With Alexander Albon and Antonio Giovinazzi sitting out qualifying and with both Williams cars still being well off the pace compared to the rest of the field, Stroll qualified as the slowest in midfield in Shanghai. Life at Racing Point hasn't been smooth sailing as of yet despite finishing in the points on his debut.

“A frustrating session," the 20-year-old said when looking back on qualifying.

"I don’t feel I got as much out of it as I should, so it could definitely have been better. I’m not quite getting to grips with the car 100% yet and I made some mistakes on my lap, which cost us a couple of tenths and, in the end, that’s all it takes.

"It’s very, very tight in the midfield and every tenth counts. My race pace is generally pretty good and I believe we can be stronger tomorrow, but when it comes to Saturdays we need to sort a few things out to really unlock that extra bit of performance."

Still, Stroll remains positive when looking ahead to the Grand Prix on Sunday, taking Australia as a reference point for what is possible in a strong race.

"We started sixteenth in Australia and finished ninth, so there’s no reason why we can’t do the same thing here. It’s a long race, I generally make good starts, and you can score points from wherever you start on the grid, so that’s what I’m aiming to do tomorrow.”