Charles Leclerc’s 2023 season continued its downward spiral at the Australian Grand Prix, as the Monegasque driver had his second DNF in three races when Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll shunted him into the gravel.
The incident, shortly after the race began, meant the Ferrari driver left Melbourne with zero points, while Stroll would go on to claim fourth place
Stroll ended the race just behind his teammate Fernando Alonso who claimed his third podium in a row, the first time he’s done that since 2013.
Sitting in the cooldown room afterwards, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, Alonso reacted to Stroll’s crash with Leclerc, as he saw the race replay for the first time.
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The two-time world champion sounded frustrated with his teammate’s actions, which could have cost Aston Martin valuable points in their Constructors’ Championship battle.
“Was that Lance?” Hamilton asked.
“Yeah, Lance.” Alonso replied, as he put his head in his hands.
Stroll was fortunate to avoid a penalty for the collision, with Leclerc accepting after the race that it wasn’t the Canadian’s fault.
“Fernando had to brake even more because he had cars in front, and this led Lance to put himself in a place between me and Fernando, it’s not Lance’s fault: I think it’s more of a race accident,” Leclerc said after the race.
Aston Martin leads Mercedes in the battle for second place in the Constructors’ Standings after Alonso and Stroll secured a good haul of points around the Albert Park Circuit.
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However, despite the significant improvement in Aston Martin’s performance compared with 2022, the team is far off the pace shown by Red Bull.
Stroll sits in sixth place in the Drivers’ Standings after round 3 of the 2023 season, while Alonso in third place, chasing the Red Bull duo of Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
If Aston Martin’s performance continues, Stroll could be on course for his best season in Formula One, having never finished higher than 11th in the Drivers’ Championship.