Breaking: Lance Stroll Handed Double FIA Penalty at Monaco GP After Lewis Hamilton’s…read more
Lance Stroll Handed Double FIA Penalty at Monaco GP After Confusion Involving Lewis Hamilton
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll has been hit with a second FIA penalty at the Monaco Grand Prix, compounding a tough start to the weekend for the Canadian driver.
Stroll had already received a one-place grid penalty for blocking Charles Leclerc during the first practice session (FP1). The incident, which occurred just 10 minutes into the session, saw Leclerc collide with the back of Stroll’s car, causing significant damage to Stroll’s gearbox and rear suspension. As a result, he was sidelined for the remainder of FP1, losing valuable track time on a circuit known for its unique challenges.
However, things worsened during qualifying, where the FIA issued a further three-place grid drop for impeding Pierre Gasly in Q1. According to the stewards, Stroll mistakenly believed only Lewis Hamilton was behind him. After letting Hamilton (who was not on a flying lap) pass, Stroll returned to the racing line, unintentionally blocking Gasly, who was on a hot lap.
In a statement, the FIA said:
“The driver of Car 18 assumed wrongly that there was only one car to be let by and when Car 44 (which was not on a fast lap) went by him, he moved back to the racing line thereby impeding Car 10 which was on a fast lap.”
“The driver stated that he could not see the colour of the overtaking car due to the sun’s position. This explanation was accepted, but the standard three-place penalty was still applied.”
Following a poor qualifying effort that saw him finish 19th, the penalties will push Stroll to the very back of the grid, just behind Alpine rookie Franco Colapinto.
The incident with Gasly also had consequences for the Frenchman, who was knocked out in Q1 along with Stroll, Colapinto, Ollie Bearman, and Gabriel Bortoleto. Gasly will start 18th.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso managed to secure a stronger starting position for Aston Martin, highlighting the contrast in fortunes between the two teammates. With overtaking notoriously difficult around the tight Monaco circuit, Stroll faces an uphill battle to salvage a decent result on race day.
