F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Stroll defied Aston team order to claim final point in Hungary

McLaren wasn’t the only team in the field dealing with a team order controversy in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, with Aston Martin facing their own internal battle in the closing stages of the race.

While Lando Norris yielded to common sense and relinquished his winning position to teammate Oscar Piastri, over at Aston, Lance Stroll repeatedly ignored a similar instruction to hand back a hard-fought tenth place to Fernando Alonso.

With just six laps remaining, Aston Martin saw an opportunity to potentially grab an extra point. Stroll, on fresher tyres thanks to a later pit stop, was instructed to overtake Alonso for tenth and attempt to challenge Yuki Tsunoda ahead.

The plan, however, came with a caveat. If Stroll couldn't get past Tsunoda, he would cede the position back to Alonso.

When given the all-clear to overtake his teammate and hunt down Tsunoda, Stroll was anything but enthusiastic about the plan, telling race engineer Andrew Vizard: “I would have passed Fernando, but okay”.

As the laps dwindled and Tsunoda remained out of reach, urgency mounted in the Aston camp.

"Now, you need to switch back before the line, Fernando is four seconds behind you, there's no pressure behind," came the first, unanswered request. Followed by, "Lance, I suggest you drop back, let Fernando pass. He's four seconds back." Still, radio silence ensued.

With the checkered flag looming, Vizard's final message acknowledged the missed opportunity: "Okay, that's the flag. That is the flag."

©AstonMartin

Stroll had secured the tenth-place finish and the final championship point for himself, leaving Alonso empty-handed.

Oddly, neither driver commented on the team order snub after the race, perhaps to keep any discord out of the public eye.

Alonso, however, expressed his frustration with the overall strategy.

“I think the strategy was not the right one today,” he said. “Obviously, now after the race, easy to say.”

Alonso pointed to the early pit stop on lap 7 and the long stint on medium and hard tyres as the root cause of his shortfall in the race.

“I think we stopped on Lap 7 and then from that point, 63 laps with one medium, one hard, was a little bit optimistic,” he explained.

“So, not a great pace and the strategy didn’t help.”

Aston Martin walked away from Hungary with a point thanks to Stroll's defiance, but questions remain about their strategy and team dynamics.

The Silverstone-based outfit will need to address these issues quickly as they fight to defend their fifth place in the Constructors' Championship.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

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.

Recent Posts

Alpine double-podium in Brazil could deliver $30 million windfall

Alpine’s remarkable double podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon and Pierre…

47 mins ago

F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2024 São Paulo GP

Alexander Albon, Williams (Did Not Start): 5.5/10 Alex Albon is definitely going through something of…

2 hours ago

Jos Verstappen rips British media after Brazilian Max fest

Jos Verstappen wasted no time after his son spectacular win at the São Paulo Grand…

4 hours ago

Leclerc left with ‘mixed feelings’ after disappointing Sao Paulo GP

Charles Leclerc's weekend in Sao Paulo was unfortunately a stark contrast to Ferrari's recent triumphs…

5 hours ago

Back when Kimi knew exactly what he was doing

Twelve years ago on this day, Kimi Raikkonen took a popular win at the 2012…

7 hours ago

Mercedes fined for starting grid tyre pressure infringement

The Mercedes team was hit with a fine by the FIA after Sunday’s Sao Paulo…

8 hours ago