Lance Stroll: « We tried to put on the slicks but it was too early »
The Canadian Aston Martin driver saw his Shootout 2 session cut short after crashing into the gravel at turn 9, due to medium tires not suitable for the still damp track.
It was a tough day for Lance Stroll at Spa. After falling down the stairs of the Aston Martin hospitality unit this morning, most likely due to the rain, the Canadian driver repeated the experience on the track. During the second session of the Sprint Shootout, his team took the (very risky) gamble of putting medium tires on his car, even though the sun was clearly out and seemed to be gradually drying the track.
But it seems that Aston Martin jumped the gun a little. At turn 9, Lawrence Stroll’s son slipped into the gravel and hit the barrier, permanently putting him out of the race, along with his teammate Fernando Alonso, for the final session of the Sprint Shootout.
“We tried to put on slick tires, but it was still too early,” Stroll stated after returning to the paddock on a motorcycle, as reported by F1.com. “It was really wet, and unfortunately, it didn’t work out,” he lamented. Just before his accident, the Canadian had already informed his team over the radio that “it was too early” for slicks.”
“We simply decided to give it a try,” he continues. “The conditions are always delicate in these situations and it was a bit premature… It is still difficult to judge and anticipate precisely when the track will dry, so it was one of those situations.”
Lance Stroll will start from 14th place for the Sprint race this afternoon, just ahead of his teammate Fernando Alonso, who is celebrating his 42nd birthday today.
