Lance Stroll’s frustration reached its peak during Friday qualifying at the Losail International Circuit.
Stroll, the Canadian driver for Aston Martin, found himself in a precarious situation as he was eliminated in Q1.
This unexpected setback, after a series of challenging race weekends, proved to be the breaking point for the young racer.
As emotions ran high, Stroll, while storming out of the team’s garage, seemed to vent his frustration by shoving his trainer, Henry Howe, who was trying to guide him towards the mandatory weighing process.
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The International Automobile Federation (FIA) swiftly took action, with their Compliance Officer investigating the incident.
Subsequently, Stroll received a written warning, with the FIA’s statement emphasising that it aimed to remind the driver of his responsibilities as a competitor, bound by the FIA Code of Ethics.
The FIA’s statement made it clear that they uphold a zero-tolerance policy against misconduct and strongly condemn any actions that could lead to physical harassment.
Stroll’s outburst came amid a string of disappointing races, extending his streak of scoreless grand prix weekends to five.
This dismal performance only magnified the gap between him and his teammate, Fernando Alonso, which now stands at a staggering 136 points.
The incident involving Stroll’s actions has sparked significant debate among fans and observers.
However, Aston Martin’s team principal, Mr. Krack, has expressed that the team is not as troubled by the incident as external parties might be.
Mr. Krack explained, “You accumulate delivering below your own expectations, and then the theme of frustration comes on at one point.
“You take a football player off the pitch, and he doesn’t do high fives to the manager; he throws the jersey or throws the water bottles, we have seen that quite a lot.”
Mr. Krack further elaborated, “I think emotions are what we want from sportsmen, and then if they react, we judge them quickly.
“We need to be careful with that. I think it goes one step too far when you have 10 people sitting on the sofa or in an air-conditioned room saying, ‘this is too much or you cannot do that.’
“I think we need to have a bit more respect for the drivers and for elite sportsmen, I would say.
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“It’s easy from the outside. I think we judge too quickly.”
The incident involving Stroll inevitably drew comparisons to Max Verstappen’s 2018 altercation with Esteban Ocon during the Brazilian Grand Prix.
However, it’s worth noting that Verstappen’s incident involved violent behaviour towards a competitor, while Stroll’s episode was an inter-team altercation.