Jack Doohan singles out £34k-a-week driver for praise after faultless Las Vegas race

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Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan has admitted he was very impressed with Aston Martin star Lance Stroll during the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Doohan was speaking on the F1 Post Race Show following a fantastic race in Sin City.

One of the drivers who has hit form right at the end of the season is Lance Stroll.

Aston Martin have had a topsy-turvy campaign starting as Red Bull’s nearest rivals before falling away halfway through the season.

The likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren closed the gap on them but in the last couple of races, they’ve been back near the front of the pack.

That didn’t appear to be the case in qualifying in Las Vegas as Stroll was knocked out in Q2 and then suffered a five-place grid penalty.

However, Stroll made huge gains during the race in Vegas and Doohan was very impressed with how he carved his way through the grid.

Aston Martin got his strategy spot on and for only the second time this season when both drivers finished the race, Stroll reached the chequered flag ahead of teammate Fernando Alonso.

The Spaniard has been outstanding this year but Stroll has shown in Brazil and Las Vegas that he’s capable of producing some outstanding drives.

Doohan impressed with Stroll in Las Vegas

Talking about the £34,000-a-week driver, Doohan said: “Lance [Stroll] did very well, he looked like he was putting us [Alpine] under pressure at the end there at the end with Esteban [Ocon].

“The safety car obviously benefitted him, Checo [Perez] and others very well but also then drove a great race. No mistakes, clean to the finish and solid points for the team finishing P5 with [George] Russell’s five-second penalty.

“So, I’m sure from what looking like it was going all wrong to come back, it was an up and down race like we said and that’s why it’s been so good.”

Stroll’s performance in Las Vegas won’t go unnoticed within the team or – as Doohan has pointed out – across the paddock either.

However, he’s in a unique position where he’s not necessarily driving for his place on the grid due to his father Lawrence Stroll being a part-owner of Aston Martin.

If the team build a car capable of challenging for podiums and wins, then Stroll Jnr will be expected to compete alongside Alonso for those positions.

Too often the Spaniard was racing both Red Bulls at the start of the season but lost out because he had no support.

That needs to change quickly and Stroll has showcased in the last couple of races that he’s capable of doing that.