'Disastrous' Stroll bad luck rolls-over in Bahrain Grand Prix

Bahrain Grand Prix

'Disastrous' Stroll bad luck rolls-over in Bahrain Grand Prix

Stroll was flipped by Kvyat on the first lap following the red flag restart

Ewan Gale

Monday 30 November 2020 08:30 Updated: 12:38

Racing Point driver Lance Stroll was frustrated after retiring from the Bahrain Grand Prix upside-down having been flipped as a result of contact with AlphaTauri driver Daniil Kvyat.

When the race restarted after being delayed to allow for barrier repairs after a shocking accident involving Haas driver Romain Grosjean, Stroll and Kvyat immediately came to blows.

Kvyat had been an innocent bystander in Grosjean's incident, the Frenchman turning into the AlphaTauri, but the Russian was deemed to be at fault in the turn eight coming together with Stroll - the stewards awarding him with a 10-second penalty.

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Diving down the inside of the low-speed corner appeared, at best, to be an opportunistic lunge, and the resulting wheel-to-wheel contact inverted Stroll's RP20.

"I couldn't see him at all," said Stroll. "I couldn't see him at the corner when I got hit so it is just a shame."

Eight races ago, at the Italian Grand Prix, Stroll scored 15 points for a third-place finish but, in the races since, he has picked up just two points, both of which were awarded for finishing ninth in the Turkish Grand Prix, a race the Canadian started from pole.

Reflecting on his recent form, Stroll added: "We have scored two points since Monza and there was a time we were fourth in the world championship and things were looking really good and since then it has been a disaster.

"I don't know what else to add, we just have to focus on the next one and try to put an end to this bad luck and move forward from this."

The accidents of both Stroll and, in particular, Grosjean highlighted the strides forward F1 has made with regard to driver safety and Stroll added his voice to those singing the praises of the continued work of the FIA.

"The FIA has done a great job to implement safety," he siad. "It is great to see Romain walk away.

"That was scary. I mean, we all stopped for a second and held our breath when we saw that but glad to see him walk away."