Stroll hit with grid penalty after clash with Ocon in Austin Sprint

Lance Stroll’s difficult weekend at the US Grand Prix has gone from bad to worse after stewards handed the Aston Martin driver a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race, following his collision with Esteban Ocon during the closing stages of Saturday’s Sprint at the Circuit of the Americas.

The Canadian was found fully responsible for the crash that brought out a second safety car and ended both drivers’ races prematurely.

It capped a tough Sprint for Aston Martin, which saw both of its cars fail to finish after Fernando Alonso was eliminated in the first-lap chaos triggered by a contact between the McLarens and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg.

"Car 18 wholly at fault"

The incident occurred on lap 16 as Stroll, running behind Ocon, attempted a late lunge into Turn 1. The Aston Martin locked up under braking and clattered into the side of the Haas, leaving both cars stranded on track.

With debris scattered and both drivers out, race control deployed the safety car for the second time, neutralizing the final laps of the Sprint.

After reviewing video footage and hearing from both drivers and their team representatives, the FIA stewards issued a firm verdict.

“The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 18 (Lance Stroll), the driver of Car 31 (Esteban Ocon), team representatives and reviewed video and in-car video evidence,” the statement read.

“Car 18 attempted an inside overtake on Car 31 into Turn 1 but misjudged the braking point and collided with Car 31. The Stewards determine that the driver of Car 18 is wholly at fault and apply a penalty equalling a 10 seconds time penalty is imposed.”

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In addition to the grid drop for Sunday’s Grand Prix, Stroll also received two penalty points on his FIA superlicence – a further blow to a season already marked by inconsistency.

The Sprint race itself ended under safety car conditions, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claiming victory ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and Williams’ Carlos Sainz.

For Stroll and Aston Martin, the grid drop means another uphill battle at COTA on Sunday – and a desperate need for a clean race to salvage a challenging weekend.

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