Stroll Blames Team for Tough Japan GP Outcome

After a challenging Japanese GP, Lance Stroll pinpointed his team’s strategy and car setup as key factors in his disappointing finish.

Lance Stroll criticized his team during the debriefing of the Japanese Grand Prix. The Aston Martin F1 driver, who had complained about his poor top speed during the race and finished 12th after starting 16th, is convinced that it spoiled his race, believing he did not have the right wing or the correct settings for the circuit.

“It was really tough with the straight-line speed,” Stroll said. “I think we didn’t have the right rear wing on the car. I had to make all my overtakes at turn 6; I couldn’t overtake anyone on the straights because of the lack of straight-line speed.”

“There are strategic elements we could have done differently. So, it was a difficult weekend overall. One of those weekends to forget. The car’s straight-line speed was very poor, so there are things we need to review.”

Aston Martin thus attempted a strategy with a staggered stop and better tires, but the tires didn’t last, putting him out of sequence. He acknowledges the need to try to find a solution to score points.

“It was just a desperate decision to try to get a point because we made a double stop that wasn’t optimal, and I was behind Tsunoda in 11th position with the same tire, and here it’s already hard to overtake, and with our lack of straight-line speed, it seemed impossible.”

“So, I was hoping to stop for a soft tire and try to make it to the finish, but the tire gave out, and we ended up losing another position. I think I did my longest stint of the entire race on the soft tire, so a very suboptimal strategy.”

When asked about the enjoyment he got from making overtaking maneuvers at turn 6, the Canadian humorously responded with irony that he would have preferred doing it on a straight with speed. He concluded that it was a difficult weekend in Japan.

“I didn’t really enjoy it, it’s more fun doing it on a straight with speed. No, just kidding, it was cool. It made for some fun racing, but in the end, it’s kind of sucky. The whole weekend was, you know, very tough and difficult to make something out of.”