Aston Martin team reprimanded by stewards in Barcelona on Friday

During the Spanish Grand Prix, Lance Stroll failed to meet an important obligation in the eyes of the FIA: his participation in an engagement activity with the fans. Stroll’s absence led race stewards to closely examine the situation.

After receiving a report from the media director and listening to explanations from the driver as well as the team representative, the stewards noted that Stroll was absent from the scheduled event at noon. The team justified this absence by explaining that Stroll had to see a doctor urgently that morning due to health issues. Although this medical consultation was confirmed by the team, the stewards noted that the appropriate procedures had not been followed.

A reminder of the FIA rules

According to article 19.2 c) of the FIA sporting regulations in Formula 1, in the event of incapacity for medical reasons, it is imperative to contact the chief medical officer or medical delegate and request a medical exemption for the activity in question. In this specific case, although the team informed the media delegate as soon as possible, the deadline was very tight, which did not allow for following the established procedure.

Taking the circumstances into account, the commissioners have decided to reprimand Aston Martin for not following the procedures for requesting a medical exemption.