Stroll threw a tantrum prior to his withdrawal from the Spanish GP.
There may be more to Lance Stroll's abrupt exit from the Spanish GP than initially apparent. The Canadian, whose billionaire father Lawrence owns the Aston Martin team, practiced and qualified in Barcelona but then withdrew from the race due to a longstanding hand and wrist injury. Stroll, 26, had surgery in 2023 following a cycling accident and, according to the team, required another "procedure to address these issues" urgently.
However, after qualifying in 14th place, Stroll did not immediately follow the mandatory post-qualifying weighing procedure, remaining in the garage for five minutes before complying. Reports indicate that during that time, he lost his temper in the garage, verbally abusing several team members and causing damage to some equipment. Aston Martin confirmed that Stroll was "upset" but denied any connection between his outburst and his wrist injury or his decision to withdraw from the race. Since Stroll withdrew post-qualifying, the team was unable to replace him with a reserve driver.
Speculation has arisen that Stroll may also miss his home race in Montreal in two weeks, with Felipe Drugovich as the likely substitute, despite the 25-year-old Brazilian being scheduled to participate in Le Mans. Aston Martin’s chief trackside officer Mike Krack stated: "We need to wait and see what the next few days hold. To my knowledge, further tests and evaluations will take place soon.
"For Canada, our straightforward plan is to have Lance in the car. If that does not happen, we will need a plan B, but our priority is to ensure that plan A succeeds first. We're not considering a replacement at this time. We'll assess the situation in the coming days and then decide," Krack added.
Auto Motor und Sport pointed out the "strange" timing of Aston Martin's decision to sideline Stroll right after qualifying, despite him reportedly being in pain for six weeks prior. An anonymous team member commented, "Racing drivers only give up when there are no alternatives left." A report in Bild stated that Stroll has been "surrounded by controversy for years," with many accusing the son of team owner Lawrence Stroll of lacking motivation and talent. So far, his father has not intervened in the situation.
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