Lance Stroll says trainer Henry Howe and himself are “all cool” following the Aston Martin driver’s flare-up after qualifying on Friday in Qatar.
Stroll’s failure to exit Q1 for the fourth race in succession saw the Canadian’s temper get the better of his emotions.
After throwing his steering wheel out of the car upon his return to the pits, Stroll exited his car and made his way towards the back of the Aston garage.
But Howe insisted he exit from the front in order to comply with his weighbridge duty.
Footage then showed Howe disappearing out of sight as Stroll appeared take his frustrations out on his trainer and shove him out of his way, an impulsive gesture that drew widespread criticism on social media.
On Saturday, queried on the incident, the 24-year-old played down the situation, suggesting it had been inconsequential.
“We're good. He's a bro,” he told the media. “We go through our frustrations together and we ride together, so we're cool.”
©AstonMartin
Stroll suggested that his demeanor simply reflected the frustration that currently lingers in the Aston camp.
“We're in a rut and it's not getting better,” he commented. “Frustration is, 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.”
It’s clear however that Stroll is unable to deal with Aston’s performance shortfall as well as his teammate Fernando Alonso.
The Canadian attributes his struggles to the vicissitudes of his car and its tendency to switch from oversteer to snap understeer, a characteristic that Alonso is able to deal with better than Stroll.
“I f***ing hate having a bad day,” concluded the latter. “It's not going to change.”
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