Canada's Lance Stroll makes history at Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Canadian driver Lance Stroll finished third and became the youngest rookie to race to a podium finish on the F1 circuit.

The 18-year-old accomplished this piece of history at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday. 

Meanwhile, Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo profited from a chaotic race to earn the victory. The Australian secured his fifth career win, while Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas overtook Stroll's Williams car in the closing meters to take second.

"It was just a crazy race, with all the safety cars and the chaos," Ricciardo said. "On the cool-down lap, I was just giggling like a schoolboy."

It was also an extraordinary performance from Stroll, the son of a billionaire, who faced heavy criticism earlier in the season.

Sebastian Vettel, who extended his championship lead, steered his Ferrari into fourth, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes.

In a stop-start race, the safety car came out three times in quick succession before a red flag stopped the race near the midway point because debris littered the track.

Lance Stroll is making Jacques Villeneuve eat his words

7 years ago

Duration 0:36

The Canadian rookie raced to a record-setting finish at the Azerbaijan GP despite the former champion's criticism

Shortly before that, Hamilton and Vettel were involved in an incident that threatens to sour their good relations.

Hamilton appeared to stop his car right in front of Vettel, causing Vettel to collide into him. An irate Vettel then accelerated alongside Hamilton and appeared to deliberately swerve back into him.

Earlier this month, Stroll earned his first ever top-10 finish at the Canadian Grand Prix in his hometown of Montreal. 

"I'm just lost for words," said Stroll.

"Just lost out to Valtteri in the end, but still extremely happy with the result. I can't describe how I feel, it's beyond amazing."

Stroll was criticized for not earning a point in the first six races of the season, failing to finish four, but his performance in Baku takes him to 12th in the standings on 17 points, three behind teammate Felipe Massa.

"You dream of being on an F1 podium, you work towards that and it finally comes true," he told Sky Sports. "It was such a hectic race and I kept my head cool, the team kept me cool over the radio and we took it to the end."

Stroll's performance makes him the first Canadian to finish on the podium since Jacques Villeneuve came third — the last of his 23 podium finishes — in the German Grand Prix in 2001.