Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) of RB VCARB 01 and Lance Stroll (CDN) of Aston Martin F1 Team AMR24 collided during the Chinese Grand Prix of the Formula 1 World Championship on 21.04.2024 in Shanghai, China.
Stroll expressed confusion over the penalty he received for hitting Ricciardo, believing that he was a victim of the cars bunching together.
The incident occurred as Stroll’s car struck Ricciardo’s RB while the field was preparing for a restart following a Safety Car period caused by Valtteri Bottas’ Sauber.
The impact caused Ricciardo’s RB to be lifted off the ground and collide with Oscar Piastri’s McLaren, resulting in significant damage to both cars’ diffusers.
Although Ricciardo continued in the race, he ultimately retired due to the extent of the damage and the time lost. Stroll, on the other hand, was given a 10-second time penalty for his actions.
Stroll expressed his lack of understanding regarding the penalty, attributing the incident to a chain reaction caused by the cars braking in front of him.
He stated, “Someone brakes in front and I think it was like everyone kind of braked and the car in front of me just stopped in front of me, I had nowhere to go. And then, yeah, it was just one of those really weird racing incidents.”
Stroll was competing for a position in the lower part of the top 10 and believes that the contact with Ricciardo cost him valuable points, as he was on track for an eighth or ninth-place finish.
Additionally, Stroll received two penalty points for the incident, bringing his total to seven within the past 12 months.