Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
Stroll crash result of extra risk after being hampered by cold tires
Lance Stroll says his huge crash in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix was a result of him taking extra risk at the end of a lap compromised by cold tires.
The Aston Martin driver was on his final lap of Q1 when he had a snap of oversteer on the exit of the final corner, overcorrecting and hitting the barrier heavily at around 150mph. The car was severely damaged in the incident, with the front left corner ripping off and rolling across the track in front of Lando Norris, and Stroll says he was aware he was set to be eliminated so took more risk trying to find the required lap time.
“I’m OK,” Stroll said. “I’m frustrated as we have a big job -- in the garage and on the racetrack -- ahead of us. I was struggling for grip throughout the qualifying session. We had a bad out-lap with traffic ahead of my final push and we got stopped for the weigh bridge.
“I started a couple of seconds behind Pierre (Gasly), so it didn’t play out the way we’d planned. When I saw my lap wasn’t improving, I pushed really hard in the last corner to try and make up that extra time, and that’s when it went wrong. Let’s see what we can salvage tomorrow in the race.”
With Stroll receiving the all-clear from the FIA medical center, team principal Mike Krack says the fact he wasn’t injured in such a heavy impact shows the safety levels that F1 has achieved.
“The only thing that matters today is that Lance is OK after the accident in qualifying,” Krack said. “To see him step out of the car unaided is a testament to the FIA's constant work to improve safety. After some precautionary checks in the medical center, he was cleared and released.”
Chris Medland
While studying Sports Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire, Chris managed to talk his way into working at the British Grand Prix in 2008 and was retained for three years before joining ESPN F1 as Assistant Editor. After three further years at ESPN, a spell as F1 Editor at Crash Media Group was followed by the major task of launching F1i.com’s English-language website and running it as Editor. Present at every race since the start of 2014, he has continued building his freelance portfolio, working with international titles. As well as writing for RACER, his broadcast work includes television appearances on F1 TV and as a presenter and reporter on North America's live radio coverage on SiriusXM.
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