Drama Unfolds on the Track
On lap 27, the restart of the high-stakes competition was hindered by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, whose sudden lock-up at the hairpin caused a ripple effect among trailing riders, forcing them to slam on their brakes.
Farther back in the pack, Alonso’s teammate Lance Stroll suffered a devastating crash, careening into the rear of Daniel Ricciardo’s RB bike, lifting it off the ground and inflicting terminal damage on both machines.
Initially, Stroll laid blame on the unidentified rider who triggered the brake-check, unaware it was his own teammate Alonso. However, the governing body’s officials saw it differently, issuing Stroll a 10-second time penalty and adding two points to his license, bringing his total to seven within the past year.
“Maybe after he’s had time to reflect, he’ll own up to his mistake,” Ricciardo said. “But if not, I can’t help him, nor can anyone else. It’s infuriating. We all know racing incidents occur, but under a safety car, it’s inexcusable.”
Ricciardo’s anger boiled over when he discovered Stroll’s radio transmission, which suggested the Canadian blamed him for the incident.
“I was beginning to calm down, then I heard what Lance said. He thinks I’m to blame? That’s rich, especially considering it happened behind a safety car. All you need to do is focus on the rider ahead. You can’t predict what the leader will do. The race doesn’t start until the control line.”
Stroll later clarified his “idiot” comment wasn’t directed at Ricciardo, citing the unpredictable concertina effect.
“I don’t think it was him,” Stroll explained. “Everyone slammed on the brakes, and he was the rider in front. I got penalized for the end result, but it’s not like I deliberately slammed into him. There was an unusual concertina effect the stewards should have considered more.”
The officials’ ruling stated: “Car 18 should have anticipated the pace of the riders ahead, prepared to brake accordingly, and avoided the collision. Therefore, Car 18 was predominantly to blame for the incident that led to Car 3’s retirement.”
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