Lance Stroll had one of his best qualifying results of the season at the United States Grand Prix as he qualified P7. He will also start the race in P5 due to grid penalties that other drivers will be serving.
Since Aston Martin have been performing so poorly this year, making it into Q3 for either of their drivers has been a big hurdle. Sebastian Vettel regularly saw himself getting knocked out in Q2 and Lance Stroll hardly made it to Q2. Fans were disappointed with the performance the car has been delivering, but Stroll's qualifying at COTA has switched perspectives.
Sebastian Vettel was knocked out of Q2 after his first lap time was deleted due to track limits, and his final lap didn't turn out to be fast enough. Stroll's car made it into Q3 and he started his flying lap on a relatively empty track. This gave him enough space as he cruised along the Circuit of the Americas. With just one lap in, he made it to P7, ahead of Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso.
Lance Stroll's qualifying session has certainly brought a boost to Aston Martin fans, who have been waiting for an appreciatable performance from the team. Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter as the qualifying session drew to a close.
Warning: NSFW Language
Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel's chances at COTA
Both Vettel and Stroll have the chance to bring in some points for the team by finishing in the top 10. However, Stroll has a slightly better chance at the same. It is safe to say that both drivers will get a better position on the starting grid than they have qualified for since there are four drivers getting grid penalties.
Lance Stroll will move up to P5 as Charles Leclerc will serve his 10-place grid penalty and Sergio Perez will do the same with a five-place penalty. Sebastian Vettel will also move up from P12 to P10 because of a five-place grid penalty for Fernando Alonso in addition to Leclerc's penalty.
With Red Bull's Max Verstappen having already claimed the 2022 Drivers' Championship title, it's still all to fight for, for P2. Second-placed Sergio Perez and third-placed Charles Leclerc are only separated by a single point.