Lance insists he didn't just Stroll in

Stroll dominated and won the European Formula 3 Championship this season and has been present at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi to get a better feel of what a Formula One grand prix weekend looks and feels like.

“There’s two ways it works, one way is you need to have a sponsor or a family member or someone who helps you from eight years old till whatever age you arrive to F1 if you arrive to F1. Without that I wouldn’t have been able to move from Canada to Europe and pursue my dream,” the Switzerland-based teenager told reporters in the UAE capital on Friday.

“And then after that, no matter how much money you have, no matter where you come from, if you don’t actually turn the steering wheel left and right, and go as quick as possible around the track, you don’t win races.

“Money can’t buy wins, money can buy the opportunity, it can buy a seat in Formula 4 and go-karts and F3 – if you don’t have the super license points now, which it requires winning championships like F4, F3, maybe GP2 if you don’t win F3, you need to get those 40 points which I’ve done, you can’t get into F1.

“Money doesn’t get wins, it allows you to race, which is true, you can’t deny that. It’s a very expensive sport we’re in, and there are plenty of drivers who haven’t that opportunity who are very talented, which is really unfortunate, that’s just the sport we’re in.

“But I worked really hard and I went to win those championships and without winning those championships I wouldn’t be here. I can have all the money in the world and finish last and that wouldn’t put me where I am today.”

Stroll, set to become the second-youngest driver to ever start an F1 race, will be making quite the leap from F3 straight into the pinnacle of motorsport. With the 2017 F1 cars expected to require greater physical ability due to increased downforce levels and wider tyres, Stroll is aware one of the many challenges he’ll be facing next year will be a physical one.

He has been testing the 2014 Williams car – which is very different from the 2017 one – to get an idea of what it’s like driving an F1 vehicle, and feels ready to step up to the plate.

“Driving the 2014 car, it’s better than not driving any F1 cars before 2017,” says Stroll.

“Every little bit will help and as well off the track a lot of preparation will help. Being involved with Williams, working with them technically, getting me ready mentally and physically, I think there’s a lot of work that goes into that too.

“So it’s not only on the track but I think off the track this winter we’ll have a lot of work to prepare for the first race.

“And experience and all that, it’s not like I’ll arrive to Melbourne and I’ll know everything and that will be season.

“I think a lot of it is sort of a long-term project. Williams expects me to improve throughout the season. I have a great team behind me to help me do that and I have a great team-mate (Valtteri Bottas) as well who is a great benchmark for me who has many years with the team, has proven to be very fast, and who will help me a lot throughout the year and I’ll progress race by year and that’s what I’m going to do, take it race by race.”

Other young drivers on the grid this season like the 19-year-old Max Verstappen of Red Bull, and 20-year-old Esteban Ocon of Manor Racing, have left a strong impression with contrasting styles of driving in 2016 – the former flaunting some aggressive moves on the track and the latter taking a more reserved approach.

Stroll is not affected much by either one of his fellow millennials.

“Everyone has their own style, I’m just going to do what I do and just go race by race and I’m not over-thinking. I don’t want to be like anyone on the grid, I don’t want to simulate anyone. I just wanna do my job and do what I do,” he insists.