Lance Stroll to Face the Same Troubles as Max Verstappen Did 5 Years Ago After the Canadian’s Actions at the Qatar GP

Lance Stroll had another dismal Qualifying session at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix. The Aston Martin driver found himself in a bit of a mix after he failed to secure yet another good result in his AMR23. As a result, Stroll was left fuming after the session. Naturally, emotions got the better of the Canadian as he seemingly shoved his personal trainer, Henry on live television. Now, the FIA has come out with a statement that he may be punished like Max Verstappen was when he got into an altercation with Esteban Ocon at the 2018 Brazilian GP, as per FormulaPassion.

The 2018 Brazilian GP was a feisty affair for Max Verstappen. The Dutch lion was enjoying the lead of the race, when, in the dying embers, back-marker Esteban Ocon thought he would unlap himself. With the Frenchman on fresher tires, he tried to get past the race leader into turn one. Soon thereafter, the door closed for Verstappen who collided with Ocon and spun out! Verstappen lost out on the win and was fuming. Back in parc ferme, he confronted Ocon and shoved him as a result.

Stroll was facing a similar predicament. After his dismal Quali efforts once again, he was seemingly frustrated in the aftermath. When his trainer tried to intervene, Stroll was caught on live television airing his anger as he pushed Henry aside.

Lance Stroll is in big trouble

Stroll has had a difficult season so far as compared to his teammate, Fernando Alonso. And the Qatar GP was no different. This time, however, it would seem as though the emotions got the better of Stroll. He was once again eliminated in Q1 and his anger was palpable.

After the incident, Stroll explained, “We can’t improve and the frustration is throughout the whole group at the moment. I talked to Henry and he’s like a brother to me. We have overcome what happened , everything is fine.”

While the fate of Stroll in the hands of the FIA is still to be revealed, the governing body of the sport did note the incident that according to them are “several incidents which may have violated FIA rules, policies and procedures during the Qatar Grand Prix.”

Stroll hasn’t learned from Max Verstappen’s mistakes

Back when Verstappen got into that particular mess for shoving Ocon, the FIA punished him. While no criminal or sporting action was taken against the 26-year-old, he was ordered to serve two days of ‘public service’ as penance.

This can have a detrimental impact on Lance Stroll, too. While the 24-year-old has been struggling to extract the maximum from his Aston Martin package, this reprimand would be the last thing for his overall happiness and confidence.

With Stroll tipped to struggle even more, Aston Martin have a tough battle ahead to protect their 4th place in the championship with such handicaps.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Aston Martin Lance Stroll Max Verstappen Red Bull

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

Don’t miss these