Stroll crash puts final day of testing in jeopardy for Williams

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Williams may be forced to remain on the sidelines tomorrow if its FW40 cannot be repaired following Lance Stroll's latest crash.

The Canadian's off-track excursion on Tuesday already set-back Williams with regard to spare parts, the team is now investigating whether its car can be repaired with the components that remain in inventory in Barcelona.

"There was a bit of damage to the left hand side of the car - and we are having a look at it," Williams performance chief Rob Smedley said.

"I cannot make a full judgement call on it, as to how much has been damaged and what the contingency will be from this point onwards until we have a little bit of time and think about it.

"There is a question mark [about running on Thursday] but we will be doing our utmost to get out. It is a really important day for testing.

"Today we had a good day learning about the car - and obviously we are desperate to continue that for tomorrow onwards.

"So our aim is to get the car out."

Stroll's three mishaps, one yestarday and two in today's session have put the 18-year-old rokkie in sportlight, albeit for the wrong reasons.

But Smedley says it would be wrong to pick its driver apart given the specific of the context he has to deal with.

"Both drivers have talked a lot about these tyres," he said.

"They are good to lean on them, but there is a certain point where they become very tricky. Lance was out on cold tyres, on a cold medium tyre, on an outlap with a lot of fuel in the car, and the tyre stepped away from him.

"He was an innocent victim of that happening and what should have been an innocuous sideways moment brought him around into the barrier and did some damage.

"That happens and we expect it to happen there is no blame on his part."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.