Aston Martin issued a short statement to address speculation Lance Stroll lost his temper prior to withdrawing from the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix on medical grounds.
The Canadian pulled out of the race on Saturday evening, having partaken in qualifying earlier in the day.
Stroll, who previously suffered wrist and hand injuries in a cycling accident in 2023, was advised to withdraw after it was revealed he had continued to suffer pain.
“Over the course of the past six weeks Lance has been experiencing pain in his hand and wrist, which his medical consultant believes is in relation to the procedure he underwent in 2023,” he statement from the Silverstone-based squad said.
On Sunday, a report by the BBC stated that “word [was] going around the paddock that Stroll had broken things in the garage and sworn at team members”, leading to speculation he had exacerbated the injury in the process.
An Aston Martin spokesperson said “Lance was upset,” but did not comment further.
Stroll has been previously noted for his supposed hot-headedness, having been seen to push trainer Henry Howe after a disappointing qualifying result at the Qatar Grand Prix two years ago.
Krack denies alleged loss of temper from Stroll
With Aston Martin down by one driver, the team’s weekend was single-handedly recovered by Stroll’s veteran team-mate Fernando Alonso, who took his first points of the season with ninth place in front of his adoring home crowd.
After the race, Chief Trackside Officer Mike Krack denied any such notion that Stroll had incurred a worsening of his injury via his alleged temper loss.
“No, no. First of all, I was on the pit wall and I have not heard anything. I think this is typical [media stories],” he told media including Motorsport Week.
Krack went on to admit that “[it] has been known already” that Stroll had been suffering with pain, but theorised he had been keeping the extent of his discomfort under wraps.
“The whole thing started in 2023, if you guys remember, there was injuries, and over the last weeks, there was the mention of pain, or reducing time in pain.
“You do not ask the driver every five minutes: ‘Do you have pain?’
“You have a chat here with a physio, or hear a chat, and you understand that there are some small issues and the driver and we have seen it with Lance in 2023 when he fought his way back.
“They [drivers] want to drive, they don’t want to be out.
“So very often, I think, they drive with probably more pain than they would even admit to be able to drive, because this is what they love to do.
“So over the last weeks, there was a mention here and there, but you’re never aware how much it is. And then the weekend, I think he was just getting too much.
“I think at the end of the day, Saturday after qualifying, Lance and his team decided it would be better to go and check, go and check again, and then the recommendation was better not to race.”
READ MORE – How F1 Spanish GP weekend has validated Aston Martin gains from Imola upgrades
Discussion about this post