Max Verstappen sent offer to quit Red Bull and join F1 rival keen to be his team-mate
Lance Stroll will be back in the cockpit of his Aston Martin for the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend, the driver has confirmed, despite being forced to sit out the last F1 race in Singapore.
The 24-year-old has endured a difficult season while amassing 47 points. Focus on his performances has been intensified by team-mate Fernando Alonso, with the double world champion racking up seven top-three finishes which put the Spaniard currently 123 points ahead of his younger colleague.
Stroll’s misfortune turned to near-disaster in Singapore after he lost control of his AMR23 when coming out of the final corner of a qualifying lap on the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The Canadian suffered a huge impact against the crash barrier, which brought out the red flags and ultimately ended the qualifying session early.
Stroll was able to walk away from the nasty incident but as engineers attempted to put his battered car back together for race day, Aston Martin eventually took the decision to keep their driver off the track as it became apparent he was still suffering with the after-effects of the huge impact.
Speculation had risen that Stroll, who is the son of Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll, may sit out the Japanese Grand Prix, with it arriving only a week after his ugly crash, but his attendance has now been confirmed by the man himself.
Posting on social media, Stroll said: “Thank you for all the kind messages. Ready to race this weekend.”
Singapore proved to be a Grand Prix to forget for Aston Martin, with Alonso only able to muster a 15th-placed finish which was not helped by a botched pit stop. At one point the Spaniard described his car as “undrivable”.
The Silverstone-based team have high ambitions and are hoping to finish the season second in the Constructors’ Championship, but with no points in Singapore, they have lost ground on Mercedes, who now enjoy a 72-point lead on their rivals.
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Runaway leaders Red Bull can clinch the team title in Japan this weekend, but they suffered a rare poor run-out in Singapore, with Max Verstappen coming only fifth and team-mate Sergio Perez eighth.
The result ended Verstappen’s record 10-race winning streak, but his coronation as world champion for the third time is a mere formality waiting to happen.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took the chequered flag in Singapore with Lando Norris of McLaren second and Lewis Hamilton third in his Mercedes.
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