Lance Stroll’s performance at the Brazilian Grand Prix was heavily criticized, particularly for his actions during the formation lap. After a difficult weekend that began with a crash in qualifying, Stroll’s troubles continued when, despite repairs from his mechanics, he failed to even start the race. His exit occurred when he beached his Aston Martin AMR24 in a gravel trap during the formation lap, a mistake that left many questioning his decision-making.
The incident unfolded when Stroll locked up his rear wheels and spun off the track, fortunately coming to a stop on the asphalt without any damage to his car. However, rather than using the asphalt access road to return to the track, Stroll made the baffling choice to drive through a gravel trap, which ultimately caused him to get stuck. This premature end to his race was met with harsh criticism, especially from pundit Olav Mol, who accused Stroll of lacking basic intelligence in his handling of the situation.
Mol’s reaction was scathing, calling Stroll’s actions “like standing in front of a lock and thinking, ‘Where should I go? Well, I’ll just drive into the water.’” His comments reflected the disbelief many felt, as a simple mistake like this should not occur at the level of Formula 1, especially from an experienced driver. Fellow pundit and former F1 driver Robert Doornbos also criticized Stroll, comparing his gravel trap mishap to the previous week’s error by Sergio Perez in Mexico, where the driver lined up incorrectly in his pit box.
Doornbos emphasized that such mistakes should not happen to seasoned drivers, noting that while it’s understandable for a driver to spin out, it’s crucial to quickly recover from the situation. He was particularly disappointed that Stroll’s attempt to shortcut the track through the gravel trap resulted in him being stuck, which led to his early retirement. Doornbos also pointed out that this incident left Aston Martin with only one car in the race, as Fernando Alonso was the sole representative of the team on the grid.
Alonso, despite racing with a newly repaired car and enduring pain from a bouncing chassis, finished the race in 14th place. Doornbos praised Alonso for pushing through the pain and completing the race, in stark contrast to Stroll’s failure to even start. Aston Martin ended the Brazilian Grand Prix without any points, continuing their disappointing streak of non-finishes. However, they remain in 5th place in the Constructors’ Championship, holding a 37-point lead over Alpine, who celebrated a double podium in the wet conditions.
