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A Tim Hortons on Saint-Jean Blvd. in Pierrefonds isn’t where you’d expect to see a Formula One driver during Montreal’s Grand Prix week.

But that’s where Lance Stroll was Wednesday morning.

The events leading up to the Canadian Grand Prix are often more about marketing with F1 drivers than the actual race and this was yet another example.

Stroll, who grew up in Montreal, was on the West Island to promote Tim Hortons’ new flatbread pizzas. Stroll burned some rubber in the parking lot before driving a Tim Hortons race car to the drive-thru window to order a pizza while wearing a helmet and full racing gear.

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Showing he has mastered the marketing aspect of being an F1 driver, Stroll said the pizza was “very yummy” when asked a couple of softball questions by a PR person before facing the media and added: “I like a box of Timbits … an Iced Capp always hits the spot.”

On the track, this has been a tough season for Stroll with the Aston Martin team that is partly owned by his billionaire father, Lawrence. Stroll’s father made his fortune by bringing the Pierre Cardin and Ralph Lauren clothing lines to Canada and also invested in the Tommy Hilfiger and Michael Kors brands. Forbes estimates his net worth at US$3.9 billion.

Aston Martin ranks fifth in the constructor standings with 44 points, far behind Red Bull (276), Ferrari (252) and McLaren (184) heading into Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix (2 p.m., CTV, ABC, TSN1, TSN4, TSN5, RDS). Stroll’s veteran teammate, Fernando Alonso, has earned 33 of Aston Martin’s points and sits in ninth place in the driver standings, far behind the top three of Max Verstappen of Red Bull (169), Charles Leclerc of Ferrari (138) and Lando Norris of McLaren (113). The 25-year-old Stroll ranks 11th with 11 points.

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Stroll has three top-10 finishes in the first eight races this season and his best result was sixth place at the Australian Grand Prix in March. The 42-year-old Alonso has six top-10 finishes this season and his best result was fifth in Saudi Arabia on March 9. Alonso, who won the F1 world driving championship with Renault in 2005 and 2006, joined the Aston Martin team last year and finished fourth in the driver standings, while Stroll placed 10th last season.

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Verstappen won his third straight drivers’ championship last season, along with his second straight victory at the Canadian Grand Prix. Alonso finished second at last year’s race on Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, while Stroll placed ninth.

Stroll earned his first points in F1 when he finished ninth at his first Canadian Grand Prix in 2017 and has top-10 finishes in four of his five races at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Sunday’s race will be the 152nd of Stroll’s F1 career and he has three podium finishes, placing third at the 2017 Azerbaijan GP, the 2020 Italian GP and the 2020 Sakhir GP.

“It’s always special to race at home, for sure,” Stroll said Wednesday. “I like the track. We’re going to have a little bit of rain this week also. It’s always a bit of a different challenge here in the rain. I’ve had some good races here in the past, so it’s always fun to come back.”

Stroll’s father has always had a passion for cars and racing. He bought his son his first go-kart at age 5 and would later buy himself a 1967 Ferrari 275 Spyder convertible at auction for $27.5 million. They used to attend the Canadian Grand Prix together as fans.

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“I just think I’m a guy like any other guy,” Stroll’s father said when I had a chance to chat with him in the paddock at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2018. “Most guys love cars. I fell in love with them at a very early age. I had posters on my wall growing up of my favourite cars.”

But most guys don’t have the money to own an F1 team and have their son as one of the drivers.

“I hope we can earn some points this weekend,” Stroll said Wednesday. “We’ve had some good races in Montreal in the past.”

Stroll added that the Aston Martin team now knows what some of the problems are with their cars, adding that some of the decisions made about the team’s direction last winter needed to be changed.

“Honestly, we’re not here to win the race this weekend,” the driver said. “Last year, we were here to finish in the top five and challenge for the podium. I think this weekend earning points (awarded to the top 10 finishers) will be a good result for us. But there are still a lot of races this year. It’s a long season, 24 races. So we’ll continue to push and try to make upgrades on the car and find a little speed.”

When asked what he enjoys most about returning to Montreal, apart from the race itself, Stroll said: “Just everything about being home.”

And confirming he has mastered the F1 pitchman routine, he added: “Getting a box of Timbits is always nice and seeing some family and friends that I don’t get to see all the time. It’s always a special week, for sure.”

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