Racing Point reveal front-wing "damage" led to Stroll's Turkish GP woe
Racing Point reveal front-wing "damage" led to Stroll's Turkish GP woe
Racing Point has revealed that damage sustained to the front wing of Lance Stroll's car led to his sudden performance drop-off during the Turkish Grand Prix and the Canadian limping home in a lowly ninth place.
Stroll stunned Formula 1 on Saturday when he secured the first pole position of his career in the sport, mastering the treacherous conditions at Istanbul Park.
The 22-year-old then dominated the early laps and seemed on course for victory until he suddenly started to be reeled in by the chasing pack due to graining issues.
It resulted in the team opting to switch Stroll onto a new set of intermediate tyres in the hope he could again compete, only to suffer almost immediate graining and a lack of performance that resulted in him finishing 72 seconds behind race-winner Lewis Hamilton.
The team has now unearthed the cause of Stroll's demise following its customary post-race inspections.
A team statement read: "It was discovered during the team’s routine after-race car set down that damage to the underside of Lance’s front wing was a significant contributor to the severe graining issues that Lance experienced during his second and third stints on the intermediate tyres at the Turkish Grand Prix.
"Lance reported poor tyre performance, significant understeer, and graining from lap 17 onwards in the race. Pitting for a fresh set of intermediates on lap 36 failed to resolve the problem with the graining becoming even more severe.
"One of the strakes on the underside of the front wing came loose and lodged itself in such a way that the blockage caused a significant loss of front downforce. The resultant loss of front downforce contributed to increased levels of graining.
"Data during the race confirmed there was a significant loss of front downforce, but with no visible damage to the top side of the front wing, combined with the low-grip conditions, it was difficult to confirm whether the data was correct.
"It was only after the race, when the car returned to the garage, that the damage and blockage to the underside of the front wing was discovered."
Team-mate Sergio Perez went on to finish second behind Hamilton, with the 20-point haul allowing Racing Point to move into third in the constructors' championship, five points ahead of McLaren, and 19 ahead of Renault, with Ferrari 24 points back.
Before you go...
Hamilton - a great British sporting hero
Five talking points from the Turkish Grand Prix
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Current F1 star qualifies for world championship race on two wheels
- 26 minutes ago
Ricciardo given HUGE boost after upgrade claim
- 1 hour ago
‘Absolute b******s’ - Newey’s wife SLAMS Red Bull F1 claims
- 2 hours ago
Norris INJURED at party with legendary DJ
- 3 hours ago
Newey tipped to POACH key Red Bull staff if he joins F1 rivals
- Today 18:57
F1 paddock favourite admits immense DOUBTS over Verstappen Red Bull future
- Today 17:57
Related news
F1 reveals viewing figure drop for European based 2020 season
Stroll laments missed podium opportunities
Showing Vettel "the love" will lift Aston Martin - Szafnauer
Aston Martin facing "fine balance" in debut F1 year - Szafnauer
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860