The day after the violent and spectacular accident from which he emerged unscathed, Quebec driver Lance Stroll did not participate in the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday.
The leaders of the Aston Martin team announced the news in a press release which fell in the middle of the night, Quebec time, on Sunday.
The press release specifies that the decision was taken by mutual agreement with Stroll.
According to the release, the team had to deal with a huge job repairing the car on Sunday, and Stroll is still sore from the impact.
“The whole team is relieved that Lance was able to get out of the car after yesterday’s accident, but he is still feeling the aftereffects of such a collision,” said Mike Krack, chief executive of Aston Martin, in the communicated.
“Our priority now is for him to make a speedy and full recovery. Together we have decided that he will not participate in tonight’s race and will focus on getting back into the cockpit for the Japanese Grand Prix next weekend,” added Krack.
While participating in his final fast lap to secure a place in the second of three qualifying sessions on Saturday, Stroll crashed violently into a barrier on the final corner before his car came to rest in the middle of the track, the left front wing torn off.
Stroll was able to get out of his vehicle under his own power. He still had to go to the medical center to undergo the usual examinations, but was then discharged.
His accident left him in 20th and last place in the qualifying session.
” I am correct. I’m frustrated because we have a lot of work — in the garage and on the race track — ahead of us,” Stroll said in an Aston Martin statement on Saturday.
“I struggled to find grip throughout the qualifying session. We had a bad turn with traffic before my final push and we were stopped for the weighbridge. I left a few seconds behind Pierre [Gasly], and so it didn’t go as we planned. When I saw that my lap wasn’t improving, I pushed really hard in the last corner to try to gain time, and that’s when it went wrong. We will see what we can save tomorrow in the race,” added the Quebec driver.
According to Krack, the fact that Stroll was able to get out of his car on his own is a demonstration of the International Automobile Federation’s continued efforts to improve safety.
Stroll’s Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso started seventh on Sunday.
Instead of 20 cars as is usually the case, 19 cars took part in the race.