13 October 2023 , 15:45
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Lance Stroll has been given an official warning by the FIA after he shoved a colleague at the Qatar Grand Prix.
The Canadian racer was seen by TV cameras pushing trainer Henry Howe in frustration after he was knocked out of the session in Q1. He then went to the media pen and answered three questions with just six words, swearing in the process.
Aston Martin played down the incident and Stroll later said he and his trainer remained on good terms. "We're good. He's a bro. We go through the frustrations together and we ride together, so we're cool," he told reporters.
But the FIA saw fit to get involved. "The FIA Compliance Officer is in discussion with Lance Stroll in relation to several incidents that may have contravened FIA rules, policies and procedures," the governing body announced earlier this week.
And, on Friday, the FIA revealed the outcome of that investigation. It announced that Stroll had apologised for his actions and reaffirmed its "zero-tolerance" policy towards such actions.
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"The FIA Compliance Officer has received an apology from Lance Stroll regarding his actions during the 2023 FIA Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix," the statement read.
"The Compliance Officer has noted this apology and issued a written warning, reminding Lance of his responsibilities as a competitor bound by the FIA Code of Ethics and other FIA ethical and conduct guidelines set forth by the sporting regulations.
"The FIA maintains a zero-tolerance stance against misconduct and condemns any actions that may lead to physical harassment," Stroll said his poor form is the root cause of his current frustrations – the Aston Martin driver has failed to score points across each of the last four race weekends.
"We're in a rut and it's not getting better," he explained. "Frustration is just, I think, in the whole group right now. I mean, we want to do better, we want to get better, but it's just a struggle right now. I'm just struggling with the car and just getting to grips with the balance.
"I'm just not able to extract performance from it right now, which is just difficult and frustrating. I feel like I can't really lean on the car and drive it with confidence without dealing with snaps and understeer. I f***ing hate having a bad day. It's not going to change."