Another black day for Aston Martin in Montreal, with a second fine imposed by the FIA after an issue involving Lance Stroll in qualifying.
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As the Canadian Grand Prix qualifying session had just started, Lance Stroll’s car was reported for leaving the pits in a condition deemed non-compliant. The cause: wheel protection elements still in place on the AMR26 at the time of its departure.
According to the stewards, the situation quickly escalated once the car was on track.
Body parts detaching on track
The official report states that the car was not only poorly prepared in the garage, but it continued to lose parts once moving in the pit lane and then on track.
“On its passage through the pit lane at the start of the session, car 18 lost an outer wheel cover,” the stewards’ document indicates. This part was even recovered by a FIA representative directly in the pit lane.
More worryingly, a second part detached during the out lap, heightening safety concerns around this situation.
A heavier fine for a deemed more serious risk
The stewards considered that these carbon fiber parts could pose a real danger in the event of impact with another car or a team member.
“This component, although made of carbon fiber, remains potentially dangerous if it hits a car or a person,” they specified in their decision.
Aston Martin acknowledged a failure in its pre-garage exit verification procedures and was fined 7,500 euros. A higher penalty than that imposed for Fernando Alonso’s unsafe release earlier in the weekend, due to the increased risk since the car was already on track at the time of the second incident.
A nightmare weekend for the team
This new sanction adds to a first fine of 5,000 euros, confirming a particularly chaotic weekend for Aston Martin in Montreal. Between on-track errors, safety issues, and chain incidents, the Silverstone team leaves Canada with serious points for improvement at all levels.
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