Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll walked away from a significant crash in qualifying on Saturday but was declared fit to race by the medical team for Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Stroll’s car was estimated to be travelling at 110 mph when he slammed into a barrier on the final, left-hand turn of a qualifying lap at the Marina Bay street circuit. The damage to the car included a torn front left suspension and a wheel from the chassis.
“It was really bad,” the 24-year-old Canadian said. “We had a bad outlap with traffic and there was no temperature in the tires. There was no grip. I thought we were going out and I tried to push to make up some time, but it didn’t work out.”
Lance told his crew over the radio that he was OK
After the high-speed shunt, he then went through a precautionary medical examination and was cleared by doctors.
He qualified last for the race Sunday while Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso qualified seventh, Stroll said: “I’m frustrated as we have a big job — in the garage and on the race track — ahead of us.”
“I was struggling for grip throughout the qualifying session. When I saw my lap wasn’t improving, I pushed really hard in the last corner to try and make up that extra time and that’s when it went wrong.
“Let’s see what we can salvage in the race,” added Stroll, who this season has been comprehensively outshone by new Aston Martin teammate, veteran Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard will start the race at Marina Bay Circuit from P7 on the grid.