Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll apologized to Formula One’s governing body and received a written warning Friday for his conduct at the Qatar Grand Prix, where he shoved a member of his team in frustration after an early exit in qualifying.
Stroll was knocked out in the first qualifying session last Friday and then angrily threw his steering wheel on the ground as he got out of his car, before pushing personal trainer Henry Howe out of the way as he exited the team’s garage.
In his TV interview moments later, he responded to questions about his performance with an expletive and a few terse words.
“We’re good. He’s a bro. We go through the frustration together and we ride together so…we’re cool,” Stroll said on Saturday of that incident.
After the race he also criticised penalties he received for track limits violations and was outspoken about the extreme weather conditions.
“It’s a little bit of a joke that they’re giving penalties for this, they (the stewards) don’t understand what Formula One is and what they’re putting us through,” he said after being demoted from ninth to 11th.
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The FIA said Friday that its compliance officer had received an apology from Stroll “regarding his actions” in Qatar and that the Canadian driver had received a written warning “reminding Lance of his responsibilities as a competitor bound by the FIA Code of Ethics and other FIA ethical and conduct guidelines set forth by the sporting regulations.”
The FIA added that it “maintains a zero-tolerance stance against misconduct and condemns any actions that may lead to physical harassment.”
The 24-year-old son of Canadian team owner Lawrence Stroll finished 11th in the race after which several drivers admitted to vomiting in their race helmets while others were treated at the circuit medical centre for severe dehydration.
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The Aston Martin team is part-owned by Stroll’s father, billionaire Lawrence Stroll.
Stroll is 10th in the drivers’ standings this season, while teammate Fernando Alonso is fourth.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)