24 October 2023 , 07:46
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Lance Stroll was fortunate to come out of a stewards' investigation unscathed after making a bizarre blunder during the United States Grand Prix.
Stroll finished seventh in Austin on Sunday after recovering from a pitlane start. The Canadian and his Aston Martin team-mate Fernando Alonso both broke parc ferme conditions after Saturday's sprint race and were punished for changes to their set up.
Yet Stroll appeared to forget his pitlane start while heading out for his reconnaissance lap ahead of Sunday's race, as he approached the back of the dummy grid to switch off his motor. Aston Martin quickly realised the error and dashed onto the track to fix it.
Stroll's team found a gap in the pit wall and pushed him through. The stewards were informed about the incident and investigated Stroll for an alleged breach of Article 44 of the FIA Sporting Regulations, which deals with the procedure for race starts.
That investigation took place after Sunday's race, leaving Aston Martin anxious about Stroll's seventh-placed finish. He was the only Aston Martin driver to score after Alonso retired, with crucial Constructors' Championship points at stake.
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Aston Martin are trying to finish as high as possible in the table. Red Bull have already won the title, winning 17 out of 18 races this year, but second place is still up for grabs. Aston Martin are fifth, just six points behind McLaren in fourth with four races remaining.
Aston Martin had to rush Stroll back to the pitlane on Sunday (Getty Images)Do you think Lance Stroll was lucky not to be punished? Let us know in the comments below!
The stewards concluded that Stroll's strange antics were "far from ideal" but couldn't find a breach of the rules. They released a statement following their investigation to put Stroll's mind at rest. "The stewards reviewed video evidence," it read.
"After completing his reconnaissance laps, the driver of Car 18 (Stroll) did not proceed to the pit lane directly, but missed the pit entry and continued on track until he arrived at the end of the starting grid despite being required to start the race from the pit lane. The car was then pushed back to the pits by the team on skates.
"The stewards note that the scenario caused by the incident was far from ideal. However, having reviewed the matter in detail, although the established process was not followed, no breach of any regulation was evident."
Max Verstappen won Sunday's race ahead of Lando Norris in second and Carlos Sainz in third. Lewis Hamilton had finished the race in second but was later disqualified after Mercedes failed a physical floor and plank wear inspection after the race. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who had finished in sixth, was also disqualified for the same offence.