Rookie Stroll delighted with Massa return

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Williams rookie Lance Stroll says he is happy to be paired with Felipe Massa this year for his maiden season in Formula 1.

Williams were always going to require at least one experienced driver in its line-up to tackle this year's challenging season given the introduction of new regulations.

The 18-year-old Canadian won the European F1 championship last season,  and has been preparing intensively for the forthcoming campaign by accumulating mileage at a diversity of venues over the past year with a 2014 Williams.

While he was preparing to race alongside Valtteri Bottas, the subsequent return of Massa is just as good he said

"I'm sure many fans are happy to see Felipe return," Stroll told Le Journal de Montreal newspaper.

"We have been cooperating for a long time -- ever since I became a Williams development driver."

It is believed that when Bottas was negotiating to leave Williams, Stroll's influential billionaire father Lawrence intervened to ensure Massa would replace him.

It's been suggested that Stroll  feels that his son may perhaps fare better against Massa than he would have against Bottas who regularly outqualified his Brazilian team mate last year.

"It's the perfect solution," Lance Stroll said. "He is the perfect replacement for Valtteri.

"But for me, his return to the team doesn't change anything -- I still have to cope with the same challenges as before."

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