In the aftermath of the Qatar Grand Prix qualifying session, Lance Stroll’s behaviour has come under scrutiny, with Sky Sports F1’s Naomi Schiff labelling it as “totally inappropriate.”
Stroll, who has faced a string of disappointing performances, found himself eliminated in Q1 for the fourth consecutive race, relegating him to the 17th position on the grid for Sunday’s race.
His actions, including what appeared to be pushing his trainer, raised concerns and drew criticism.
Stroll’s frustration was palpable as he offered only six words in response to three questions during a brief interview with F1, underscoring his disappointment with his performance.
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Schiff did not mince words, stating, “It’s totally inappropriate. You cannot behave in that way.”
She continued, addressing Stroll’s interaction with his trainer, “No matter how disappointing your day has been, those are the people that work to get you on track, to make it happen for you, you can’t be treating your team like that.
“It’s one thing to have a bad day, come out of the car and apologise.
“But to come out and act that way is just not good enough.”
While acknowledging Stroll’s distress, Schiff emphasised the need for better conduct, saying,
“He’s clearly distressed.
“We have to empathise because he’s a human being, he’s got his emotions.
“He’s going through something, but that doesn’t make it OK.
“You have to act better.
“Felipe Drugovich [Aston Martin’s reserve driver] is in the wings, and he would be more than grateful to be in that car and won’t behave that way.”
The performance gap between Stroll and his teammate Fernando Alonso is substantial, with Alonso holding a 127-point advantage.
Alonso has consistently started every race inside the top 10, whereas Stroll has achieved this feat only six times this season.
Additionally, Alonso leads Stroll 15-2 in the qualifying head-to-head, with Stroll missing the Singapore Grand Prix due to a significant crash in Q1.
In the Constructors’ Championship, Aston Martin finds itself in fourth place but faces increasing pressure from McLaren, which has demonstrated superior speed in recent events.
Formula 1 commentator Karun Chandhok expressed his concern over Stroll’s disappointing performances potentially causing Aston Martin to drop to fifth place in the standings with six events remaining in the season.
Chandhok commented, “It’s cost them in the constructors’ championship.
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“Earlier in the year, we were looking at them being second in the constructors, and they are likely to end up fifth with the way McLaren have caught up with them.
“The reality is he has scored less than a third of Alonso’s points.
“McLaren has benefited from their two drivers racking up the points, and it’s allowed them to catch up.”