F1 News: Lance Stroll Hits Back At FIA For Qatar GP Penalties - "A Joke"

Lance Stroll has raised issues with the multiple Qatar Grand Prix penalties.

Lance Stroll has criticised the FIA’s enforcement of track limits during the Qatar Grand Prix. Expressing both frustration and disbelief, Stroll characterised the imposition of penalties amidst the torturous conditions as “a joke” that misapprehends the present-day rigours of Formula 1.

Key Takeaways

• Drivers contended with redefined track boundaries at the Losail International Circuit, particularly through Turns 12 to 14, precipitating various penalties during the race.
• Stroll faced two five-second penalties that ultimately nudged him out of the points, inciting his backlash against the FIA's decisions amidst the punishing conditions.
• Numerous drivers, including Stroll and Williams’ Logan Sargeant, confronted severe physical consequences due to the intense heat during the 57-lap ordeal.

A swirl of controversy encircles the policing of track limits, an issue accentuated this weekend at the Losail International Circuit, where boundaries were tightened through specific turns due to concerns about Pirelli tyre performance over 'pyramid' kerbs. The altered circuit, while intended to deter drivers from mounting the kerbs, emerged as a crucible of contention during both the Sprint and Grand Prix, with several competitors, Stroll included, being penalised.

Penalties, particularly Stroll’s two five-second time adjustments—which devastatingly nudged him from the points—have sparked rigorous debates, especially given the physical toll exacted by the gruelling conditions of the race. Stroll disclosed his own battle against passing out during the final 20 laps, mirroring the ordeal of Logan Sargeant, who was compelled to retire due to his physical condition.

Aston Martin Press Image

Stroll didn’t mask his discontent, stating to the media:

“It’s a joke that they're giving penalties for this. They don't understand what Formula 1 is these days.

"What they're putting us through, we're given these track limit penalties and they're making the track narrower and they’re saying we can’t drive over the kerbs because the tyres are failing if we do.”

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The driver continued to expand on the issue of track limits, connecting it to prior incidents in Austria and highlighting the negligible advantage gained from minute deviations over the track boundary. His frustration was palpable as he concluded: 

“It's not like we're gaining an advantage when we're going off the track by three millimetres, 60 laps of concentration in 65-70 degree temperatures in the car with five, six and a half Gs.”