Lance Stroll explains cause of double Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying crash

Stroll, Aston Martin, Azerbaijan, Baku, 2022 — Photo: © LAT Images

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Lance Stroll explains cause of double Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying crash

The Aston Martin hit the barriers twice in two laps

Ewan Gale

Saturday 11 June 2022 22:15

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Lance Stroll has conceded the crash that eliminated him from Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying was his own fault.

The Aston Martin driver hit the wall on the exit of turn three to trigger the only red flag with two-and-a-half minutes to go in the first session.

The incident came just a lap after Stroll had locked up into turn seven and nudged the Tecpro barrier front-on. Instead of pitting for a new front wing with the limited time available, Stroll continued.

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Asked if the final crash was a legacy of the first, he replied: "We have to look at the car, I don't know, maybe the front wing was broken but ultimately I braked too late and just crashed."

On the first incident, he added: "Yeah, I just braked too late and that is what caused the crash."

But Stroll has not given up hope of a positive race despite starting 19th. He said: "There is always stuff happening here, overtaking opportunities so we will see what we can do."

Aston Martin "squeezing" performance out

Sebastian Vettel enjoyed another positive performance by qualifying in the top 10 despite his own brush with the Baku walls, with the four-time F1 champion lining up ninth.

The German, who continued Aston Martin's gradual improvement since introducing radical upgrades in Barcelona, commented: "We are squeezing out a little bit more every time but obviously we have to push flat out from the beginning.

"The first session was good for us. We were in the right place at the right time with the tow.

"Second session, we could confirm what we did at the end of Q1 but it is not like in the past where you can easily build up because you have so much car pace. You have to be flat out right from the beginning.

"In the end, you don't improve that much because you are already maxed out, but I think it was a good session."