Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack believes Lance Stroll was unlucky in receiving a penalty for hitting Daniel Ricciardo. The Canadian driver ploughed into the back of the Australian driver, giving the VCARB 01 race-ending damage. This collision sums up what has been a difficult weekend for Stroll, who leaves Shanghai empty-handed. After five rounds, there is growing criticism about his position.
Earlier this week, Mike Krack was swift to defend his driver. The team principal of the Silverstone-based team stressed that Stroll’s position within the team is safe. He went even further, outlining that the entire project is built around the 25-year-old.
However, these comments were not received especially well. Regardless of the Canadian’s performances, Krack has been unwavering in his defence. Evidently, this is attributed to Lawrence Stroll’s ownership of the team.
Krack gives verdict on 10-second penalty
Speaking after the race, Krack argued that the FIA’s verdict was harsh:
“I thought it was a very, very fast and very hard, a very quick decision. This is how it is,” racingnews365 quotes him as saying.
“I think it was a chain reaction. At the end of the day, you saw Fernando locking up and another car behind. I think everybody was a little caught out there…
“I would have liked if it was looked at in a little bit more detailed way.”
Ultimately, the outcome of the FIA’s decision was secondary to Stroll’s result. Once he ran into Ricciardo, his chances of points were largely gone.
With nine points after five rounds, the Aston Martin driver will be striving to increase his output. Although the AMR24 is not living up to the initial performance of its predecessor, it has arguably established itself as the fourth-fastest car.
In this case, fighting Mercedes for 4th in the Championship is an unrealistic objective. However, with Hamilton and Russell scoring considerable points in China, Aston cannot afford more weekends where Lance Stroll fails to score points.
