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.
