“Several rule violations” in Qatar
F1 driver faces a lot of trouble after freaking out
October 11, 2023, 12:03 p.m
Out early in qualifying, no points in the race due to penalties: For Lance Stroll, the Formula 1 weekend in Qatar was a complete disappointment. Now the Aston Martin driver is facing a penalty because he takes out his frustration on team members and press people. This also fuels the rumor mill.
Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll has to fear consequences from the world association for his outburst of anger at the Grand Prix in Qatar. The sports authority official responsible for compliance with rules of conduct is in discussions with the Aston Martin driver about several incidents, the International Automobile Federation FIA said. Stroll allegedly violated several aspects of the rules, it said. However, there was no information about possible penalties ranging from a warning to a racing ban.
The Canadian lost his composure during qualifying for the race in Qatar. First he threw his steering wheel out of the car after his early exit, and shortly afterwards he pushed his physiotherapist in front of the camera. He apparently wanted to calm Stroll down after his unsuccessful trip, but he didn’t succeed – and Stroll roughly pushed him away.
How frustrated the 24-year-old Canadian was became clear later in an interview with the TV channel Sky. He answered three questions extremely tight-lipped and irritated with a total of only seven words, then he simply moved on. Stroll said he didn’t know what was going on and just had to keep driving. After the main race, in which he slipped out of the points due to a time penalty, Stroll described the track stewards as clueless.
Completely no chance in the Aston Martin duel with Alonso
It is conceivable that there is a violation of an article of the International Sports Code, which defines as a breach of the rules “any misconduct or any act that harms the interests of competition or the interests of motorsport in general.” Team boss Mike Krack stood behind his driver after the push: “These are emotions that we want from athletes. And if they then react emotionally, then we are very quick to condemn them.”
The racing driver is the son of Aston Martin racing team owner Lawrence Stroll. Stroll Junior still has a valid contract for the coming season, but had no chance in the team’s internal duel with Fernando Alonso this year. While the experienced Spaniard has already achieved a podium finish seven times, Stroll only finished fourth once. In the qualification in Qatar he finished 17th, Alonso shone in fourth place, in the race they finished 11th and 6th. In the sprint qualifying, Stroll came 16th, in the short race he was ranked 15th and last due to a penalty, while Alonso was ranked 15th and last in the short race convincing as 9th and 8th.
His replacement at Aston Martin is still considered unlikely because his father Lawrence Stroll is the owner of the racing team. However, rumors arose around the Qatar Grand Prix that the team could be for sale. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF is said to be interested, the oil company Saudi Aramco is already the name sponsor of Aston Martin and one of the main sponsors of Formula 1. The weak performance of Lance Stroll is also said to be the trigger for these considerations – there is also speculation about his F1 farewell after seven seasons becomes.