Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Recommended for you

Is it now or never for Russell in hunt for F1 title?

Feature
Formula 1
Is it now or never for Russell in hunt for F1 title?

Supercars to make Chevrolet Camaro updates after parity investigation

Supercars
Taupo Super 440
Supercars to make Chevrolet Camaro updates after parity investigation

Domenicali: F1 'needs to decide' on the next engine regulations this year

Formula 1
Domenicali: F1 'needs to decide' on the next engine regulations this year

How Armstrong has proven he belongs in the WRC's top tier

WRC
Rally Croatia
How Armstrong has proven he belongs in the WRC's top tier

The top 11 lost F1 victories after the flag

Feature
Formula 1
The top 11 lost F1 victories after the flag

Racing Bulls suggest "continuous" roll-out of F1 2026 regulation tweaks

Formula 1
Racing Bulls suggest "continuous" roll-out of F1 2026 regulation tweaks

Special Alpine and victorious Vectra among Cadwell Park BARC highlights

National
Special Alpine and victorious Vectra among Cadwell Park BARC highlights

Forthcoming KTM switch not impacting Marquez's involvement in GP26 development

MotoGP
Forthcoming KTM switch not impacting Marquez's involvement in GP26 development
Formula 1 Chinese GP

Krack: Stroll penalty "very harsh" after F1 China "chain reaction"

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack felt it was "very harsh" for Lance Stroll to be penalised for contact with Daniel Ricciardo in Formula 1s Chinese Grand Prix.

Filip Cleeren Oleg Karpov
Edited:
Stroll hit Ricciardo under the safety car as the field bunched up in the penultimate corner for a lap 27 restart.
A furious Ricciardo was forced to retire his damaged RB car, while McLaren's Oscar Piastri also sustained rear-end damage when his compatriot's car was pushed into him.
The stewards wholly blamed Stroll for not taking more care to avoid the contact and handed him a 10-second penalty and two penalty points, which Stroll felt was "a joke".
His team boss Krack backed the Canadian and questioned why such a snap verdict was issued soon after the incident.
"A very, very quick verdict without really understanding... I thought it was very, very fast and very harsh, very quick decision," Krack said when Autosport quizzed him about the punishment.
"I think it was a chain reaction at the end of the day. You saw Fernando [Alonso] locking and another car behind and I think everybody was a little bit caught out there.
"I would have liked that this would have been looked at in a little bit more detailed way. We tried to discuss it, but the verdict was very quickly that Lance was to blame. And he got a 10-second penalty, additional to the front wing damage."
Mike Krack, Team Principal, Aston Martin F1 Team

Mike Krack, Team Principal, Aston Martin F1 Team

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Ricciardo was particularly frustrated with Stroll ducking responsibility for the clash despite pointing out the Aston driver was looking at the apex of Turn 14 rather than what was happening ahead of him.
"These situations are created in the front," Krack responded. "Now, you can always say, you need to be more careful.
"But, on the other hand, if you're too careful, and you have the restart and you lose more than one car length - everybody says 'are you asleep?'
"Things like that happen at different tracks. You remember the incident we had in Mugello [at the 2020 Tuscan GP], where there were a lot of cars involved.
"This is always the erratic movement that happens on a safety car restart. And we have some of these every year and will continue to."

Share Or Save This Story

Previous article How the pursuit of marginal F1 gains caused Sauber's pitstop stumbles
Next article Horner: Wolff should focus on his own F1 problems, not “unavailable” Verstappen

Top Comments

More from
Filip Cleeren

Domenicali: F1 'needs to decide' on the next engine regulations this year

Formula 1
Formula 1
Domenicali: F1 'needs to decide' on the next engine regulations this year

Racing Bulls suggest "continuous" roll-out of F1 2026 regulation tweaks

Formula 1
Formula 1
Racing Bulls suggest "continuous" roll-out of F1 2026 regulation tweaks

George Russell, Formula 1 and an exercise in patience

Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
George Russell, Formula 1 and an exercise in patience
More from
Lance Stroll

Stroll: Aston Martin F1 struggles a factor in surprise GT outing

Formula 1
Formula 1
Stroll: Aston Martin F1 struggles a factor in surprise GT outing

Stroll to make surprise GT outing during April F1 break

Formula 1
Formula 1
Stroll to make surprise GT outing during April F1 break

What's next for Aston Martin and Honda after torrid start to F1 2026?

Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
What's next for Aston Martin and Honda after torrid start to F1 2026?
More from
Aston Martin Racing

Why Aston Martin must "take the positives" from its modest Japanese GP progress

Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Why Aston Martin must "take the positives" from its modest Japanese GP progress

Honda clarifies F1 timeline after Newey comments: “It is a misunderstanding”

Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Honda clarifies F1 timeline after Newey comments: “It is a misunderstanding”

The one thing Aston Martin needs more than a new team principal in F1

Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
The one thing Aston Martin needs more than a new team principal in F1

Latest news

Is it now or never for Russell in hunt for F1 title?

Feature
Formula 1
Is it now or never for Russell in hunt for F1 title?

Supercars to make Chevrolet Camaro updates after parity investigation

Supercars
Taupo Super 440
Supercars to make Chevrolet Camaro updates after parity investigation

Domenicali: F1 'needs to decide' on the next engine regulations this year

Formula 1
Domenicali: F1 'needs to decide' on the next engine regulations this year

How Armstrong has proven he belongs in the WRC's top tier

WRC
Rally Croatia
How Armstrong has proven he belongs in the WRC's top tier