Formula 1

Stroll’s points finish “lifted the spirits of everyone in the team” – Otmar Szafnauer

1 Mins read
Credit:Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team

Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team driver Lance Stroll’s eighth place finish, has given his team a giant boost in morale after a brilliant drive.

The Aston Martin team faced trouble before the race had even begun, both Stroll and Sebastian Vettel had overheating brakes at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with Stroll’s catching fire on the way round to the grid!

Stroll’s car was able to be quickly fixed by the Aston Martin mechanics, with the Canadian able to repay the favour with a solid performance and another points finish. Aston Martin CEO & Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer was full of praise for performing driver.

Credit:Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team

“After an Imola weekend that was challenging from a number of perspectives, Lance’s hugely impressive drive to seventh place, under pressure all the way through, lifted the spirits of everyone in the team. He had gear shift issues throughout, but managed them very capably, and did very well to hold off a fast-closing Pierre [Gasly] on the final lap.”

The same couldn’t be said for Sebastian Vettel, the four-time FIA Formula 1 World Champion had to start from the pit-lane after not having the tyres on his car within the allotted time. It went from bad to worse for the German, who also received a time penalty, and twice gambled with his tyre choice, both times wrongly.

In the end it was a retirement for Vettel, who is still looking for an incident free race for his new Aston Martin team.

“Sebastian had a troubled run that ended in a DNF just one lap from the end, which was disappointing for him and the team, but he got a lot of very useful mileage in the car, which is a positive because he is still playing catch-up to some extent as a result of his lack of running in pre-season testing.” 

“Both our cars suffered brake overheating problems on the way to the grid, and we are currently investigating the root cause in order to implement a permanent solution.”

Avatar photo
1236 posts

About author
Formula 1 & Formula E reporter/journalist
Articles
Related posts
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix: Circuit Info, Predictions and Timings

2 Mins read
TheCheckeredFlag previews the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
Formula 1

Ferrari Opted for Bearman Debut in Jeddah due to Giovinazzi’s WEC Schedule - Vasseur

4 Mins read
Oliver Bearman was picked to race for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia ahead of the more experienced Antonio Giovinazzi due to his other racing commitments.
Formula 1

2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – What the Team Principals Said after the Race in Jeddah

8 Mins read
After the conclusion of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Saturday evening, those from the pit wall reflect on their teams’ performance during the race.