Lance Stroll became the target of fans and pundits after his tantrum in Lusail on Friday. Stroll threw away his steering wheel, got out of the car angrily, and resorted to heavily shoving a team member who later turned out to be his physiotherapist. Although the F1 community cannot stop talking about it, Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack urges them to, in an interview with Sky Germany.
Stroll was absolutely devasted after qualifying on Friday in Lusail. After the session, his teammate Fernando Alonso was P4 in the standings. On the other hand, all he could muster up was P17, which didn’t sit right with him. A furious Stroll took out his anger on the team around him.
Considering the fact that he has always been seen as someone who was in the sport because of his father’s ownership of Aston Martin, fans were not happy. They bashed him on social media and called him spoiled. However, Krack, Aston Martin’s team principal, jumps up to defend him ahead of the Qatar GP race on Sunday.
Don’t judge Lance Stroll too much, says Mike Krack
Despite the outburst and apparent tension within the team, Krack came out to ask people to stop putting pressure on Stroll. The gap between him and Alonso has been huge this season. Hence, it is understandable why Stroll is upset, frustrated, and unhappy with himself.
Krack even gives the example of professional soccer players. They too, when unhappy, throw stuff around, and sometimes shove their opponents. Because of this, he asks the public to understand what the Montreal-born driver is going through.
“You see footballers who sometimes throw a shirt, throw a water bottle or don’t shake hands with the coach when they are changed,” said Krack as quoted by GP Fans. “I think sports thrive on those kinds of emotions. You shouldn’t judge too much when you’re in such a situation.”
Additionally, Krack also revealed if there is any tension between Stroll and the team after his outburst.
Nothing wrong between Stroll and Aston Martin
After Stroll’s outburst, many predicted that the tensions between Stroll and the team would be high. Krack, however, is adamant that they spoke about everything. The Luxembourgish team boss reminded everyone that their sole focus for this weekend is to get the best result for the team.
“There is no problem within the team,” he said. “We talked about it. Everything is fine.”
Stroll will start Sunday’s race in Lusail from P17 on the grid, and will he hoping to make as many places as possible. Alonso on the other hand, will be hoping for an outside shot at the podium places, starting from fourth.
