A 2024 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix to forget for Lance Stroll. The Aston Martin driver was out before the race even began, after getting his car stuck in the gravel.
An embarrassing mishap broadcast worldwide, triggering laughter on social media. The mechanics, however, found it less amusing, especially after working hard to repair his AMR24 following a crash in qualifying.
On the formation lap, the Canadian lost control of his car due to the still-wet asphalt. His next move was baffling: Stroll tried to get back on the track by going through the gravel and got stuck there. Car immobilized, with no chance to participate in the race.
Olav Mol, a famous Dutch TV personality, mocked the Aston Martin driver on Ziggo Sport: “He has the intelligence of a dead dinosaur egg. It’s like standing in front of a lock and thinking, ‘Where should I go? Well, I’ll just drive into the water.’ He went straight into that damn gravel. He’s just not doing well.”
His colleague and former F1 driver Robert Doornbos agreed. “Let’s not forget the mechanics had to rebuild both cars,” he said. “It’s possible to spin out, like Verstappen did in Hungary, but he saved it by switching to reverse. You’re lucky not to have sustained serious damage. Stroll thought he could cut across the gravel and then got stuck! How do you face your team after that? You don’t expect this kind of thing from Formula 1 drivers…”
With Lance Stroll out even before the race began, Aston Martin was left on track with only Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard complained of back pain due to bouncing but decided to keep driving to honor the hard work of the mechanics.
Robert Doornbos praised the behavior of the two-time world champion: “This shows what a great man he is, because he saw what happened with Stroll. He probably thought, ‘No way, those guys did an amazing job, and you throw it away after 300 meters.’”
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