Stroll to become youngest F1 driver to start on front row

Monza, Italy - Canada's Lance Stroll keeps setting Formula 1 records — and he's only 18.

In June, the Williams driver became the youngest rookie to finish on the podium after placing third in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

'Racing is full of surprises'

On Sunday, he'll become the youngest driver to start a race from the front row.

Stroll qualified fourth in torrential rain at the Italian Grand Prix on Saturday but will move up to second on the grid followingengine-change penalties to Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, who set the second- and third-fastest times behind pole sitter Lewis Hamilton.

Stroll said: "I didn't expect that coming into today, but racing is full of surprises and you never know what will happen. I felt confident, felt good with the car and put it all together. Tomorrow is the race and that is where it counts, and I am just going to run my race like I always do."

Big things have been expected from Stroll ever since he showed his talent in the Ferrari driver academy from 2010 to 2015. Stroll joined Williams in 2015 after winning the Formula 3 European Series.

Paddy Lowe, Williams chief technical officer, said: "We were briefing him this morning before FP3, asking him if he wanted extra practice in the wet because he's never driven an F1 car in full wet conditions but he said, 'No, I'll just take it as it comes.' And that's what he did today.

Lowe said: "We saw some great talent out there, good performance in the wet is one of those things that's very difficult to test or develop, so it's one of those surprises that can unfold positively or negatively on the day."

Revised starting grid for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix after grid-place penalties for Sergio Perez and Stoffel Vandoorne:

1st row

Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes)
Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams)

2nd row

Esteban Ocon (FRA/Force India)
Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes)

3rd row

Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari)
Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari)

4th row

Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams)
Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso)

5th row

Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas)
Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber)

6th row

Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Sauber)
Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull)

7th row

Sergio Perez (MEX/Force India)
Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Renault)

8th row

Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP/Toro Rosso)
Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull)

9th row

Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault)
Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren)

10th row

Fernando Alonso (ESP/McLaren)
Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas)