Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) RB VCARB 01 and Lance Stroll (CDN) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR24 collided during the race on April 21, 2024. This incident occurred during the Chinese Grand Prix, which is part of the Formula 1 World Championship. The collision took place on Race Day in Shanghai, China.
The boss of Aston Martin Formula 1, Mike Krack, expressed his disagreement with the decision to penalize Lance Stroll for his contact with Daniel Ricciardo. Krack believes that the penalty was too severe. Stroll’s collision with Ricciardo caused damage to the RB driver’s floor, ending his race. The incident occurred when the cars were bunching up at the Turn 14 hairpin to prepare for a Safety Car restart.
As a result of the penalty, Stroll received a 10-second time drop and had to change his front wing. This dropped him out of contention for points, and he was classified in 15th place. Stroll, who also received two penalty points, criticized the verdict. Ricciardo, in response, acknowledged that Stroll’s attempt to shift blame made him angry.
Krack shared Stroll’s perspective and questioned the speed at which the decision was made. He felt that a more detailed analysis should have been conducted before reaching a verdict. Krack expressed his dissatisfaction with the outcome, stating that Lance was blamed quickly and received a 10-second penalty in addition to the front wing damage.
Ricciardo had observed from video footage that Stroll was focused on the apex of the turn rather than the cars ahead. However, Krack believed that Stroll’s anticipation of the restart was justified. He argued that such incidents are often a result of the behavior of drivers at the front of the pack. Krack mentioned previous instances where similar situations occurred, such as the incident at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix in Mugello, which involved multiple cars.
Krack emphasized that these erratic movements during Safety Car restarts are common occurrences in Formula 1. He acknowledged the need for caution but also highlighted the criticism drivers face if they are perceived as being too slow to react. According to Krack, these incidents will continue to happen in the future due to the nature of the sport.