It soon became clear that the race weekend in Singapore would be one big drama for the Aston Martin team when Lance Stroll crashed his car into the wall during qualifying. The Canadian was therefore unable to start during the race, but according to team boss Mike Krack, Stroll’s crash showed that the driver is a dedicated athlete who always tries to push the edge.
Stroll’s weekend came to an unusually quick end, as the team was unable to repair the damage to his car in time for the start of the race. Stroll himself had suffered some muscle pain from the hard impact, so it would not be wise to participate in a Formula 1 race, let alone on the physically challenging Marina Bay Street Circuit. Aston Martin was unable to call for a replacement due to the late withdrawal and therefore had to start with one car. Stroll’s teammate Fernando Alonso also suffered some bad luck and was unable to make any progress, so Aston Martin will be only too happy to leave Singapore behind.
Stroll’s crash not as detrimental as it seems according to Krack
Yet the Aston Martin team boss emphasizes to Motorsport.com that Stroll’s crash says a lot about his drive to get the best out of the car. He decided to push the car to the limit in the final corner in an attempt to gain time, and according to Krack that was a good choice. ‘It just proves that he is fully committed to this challenge. For all the people who think he doesn’t: when you enter that last corner at this speed and in a way like this, you really have the necessary dedication.’
According to the Luxembourger, Stroll showed with this crash, no matter how strange it may sound, that he still has what a good Formula 1 driver needs. “This just proves that he can still do it.” Earlier this season, the Canadian received well-deserved compliments after he wanted to start the Grand Prix weekend in Bahrain with two broken wrists sustained during a cycling incident. Yet Stroll’s performance is getting worse and worse, and there are even rumors that he is no longer interested in his career as a Formula 1 driver.
Yet Krack emphasizes that Stroll has more to offer than people think. ‘He is very strong, and even much stronger than people often think. After his crash he just fulfilled his obligations to the media, and I’m not worried about anything. Everything will be alright.’ According to the official FIA tests, Stroll should have been allowed to start, but Aston Martin bit the bullet and decided not to let him participate.
However, according to Krack, there is ‘no chance’ that Stroll will also miss the Japanese Grand Prix. ‘He generally has muscle pain, but during these types of incidents you tense all your muscles, so that is a logical consequence. If you train very hard in the gym you get the same effect, but you also don’t feel good. So it really was the right choice to get him ready for Japan.” The Luxembourger concludes with a loud and clear argument: ‘The most important thing is that he is okay and that he came away without any lasting damage. Everything else will come later.”
