"It's been a hell of a journey" - Aston Martin's Lance Stroll reflects on his F1 career

Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll has admitted he finds it "hard to believe" that he's already spent five seasons in Formula One.

Stroll raced for the first time in F1 in 2017 at the Australian Grand Prix, where he finished in 19th place. In his 98-race career, the 23-year-old has scored one pole position and two podiums.

Stroll is currently 13th in the 2021 drivers' championship with 34 points, just nine points behind four-time championship-winning teammate, Sebastian Vettel.

This past weekend at the Qatar Grand Prix, Stroll produced one of his best drives, climbing from 12th to sixth.

In a media interaction after the race, Stroll was asked to reflect on his F1 career so far and whether he was happy with the progress he has made since his debut season. The Canadian admitted that things were yet to sink in for him.

"I haven't really reflected yet," Stroll said. "Yeah I mean... no for sure it's you know been a hell of a journey. It's crazy how quick time flies. Feels like...in a way it feels like a long time ago but it also feels like yesterday when I was at my first race in Australia. So, hard to believe that 5 seasons into it, almost a 100 races into it...

Stroll described his journey in F1 as "great", while also acknowledging some of the difficult times he has had in his short career thus far. The Canadian revealed that the ups and downs of his journey have taught him plenty of important lessons.

"It's just the beginning" - Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll is closing in on his 100th race appearance and the 23-year-old admitted that he was "looking forward" to the next phase of his career.

"I still feel like yeah...it's just the beginning. You know I just turned 23 so I'm still really looking forward to the next chapter now," Stroll said.

With two races left in the 2021 F1 season, Stroll, on his part, will be looking to finish on a high and potentially leapfrog his teammate in the standings.