Lance Stroll says the pace he and team-mate Sergio Perez showed in the Styrian Grand Prix puts Racing Point ahead of its midfield rivals in th🍃e Formula 1 pecking order.

After a disappointing qualifying performance in the wet, both Racing Points showed impressive race pace to come through the field to finish sixth and seventh after starting from outside of the toꩲp ten.

It wasn’t a perfect race for the Silverstone-based outfit with Perez dropping a place on𒐪 the final lap - handing McLaren's Lando Norris fifth - after light contact with Alexander Albon resulted in a broken front wing.

While Racing Point didn’t maximise it💖s pace, Stroll believes the team is potentially on a par with Red Bull, or at least, ahead of its main midfield competitors.

“I really be♛lieve today we debatably had the secon𝄹d quickest car, maybe the third,’’ Stroll said.

“We were definitely quicker than Renault, McLaren and a lot of our other competitors so that was really positive. It wasn’t the perfect race I think for both of us. I mean for Sergio starting 17th, that was a pretty good result - you’d probably have signed up for that b🎉efore🎃 the race.

“From my side, there were definitely some frustratinꦏg parts to the race - getting stuck behind Ricciardo. The pace was there all race which is what is promising moving forward.’’

After a series of i🍸mpressive ☂fastest laps, Perez was able to challenge Albon for fourth place.

The M𝐆exican admits he wasꦇ ''very lucky'' to have only lost just one place after damaging his front wing.

“It was good to recover,'' Perez added. “We were all the way to P5, nearly P4 in t𓂃he end. I was pushing really hard on Albon and I didn’t have any opportunity other than the one that I took and unfortunately I touched at the wrong angle.

“Basically, I understand a bitౠ towards the exit - I am opening up the steering wheel while picking up the power then I broke the whole front wing. I was very lucky to lose just one position from that.''

Racing Point is currently under investigation after 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Renault launched a protest regarding the legality of its 2020 car, dubbed by many rivals as the 'Pink Mercedes'⭕ due to its similarities to Mercedes' 2019 title-winning W10.