Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) from RB VCARB 01 and Lance Stroll (CDN) from 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 about the penalty he received for hitting Ricciardo, believing he was a victim of cars coming together.
The incident occurred when Stroll’s car hit Ricciardo’s RB as the pack was getting ready to restart after 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 eventually retired due to the extent of the damage and time lost. Stroll, on the other hand, received 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 cars braking in front of him.
He stated: “Someone brakes in front and I think it was like everyone 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 course for an eighth or ninth place.
Furthermore, Stroll received two penalty points for the incident, totaling seven in the last 12 months.
