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Aston Martin F1 driver Lance Stroll was taken in the medical car after he crashed at the iconic Eau Rouge corner during the FP3 session at the 2024 Belgian GP. The Canadian driver is usually known for his prowess in wet weather conditions but he was unable to showcase his skills as his session was cut short.
The 25-year-old had pretty standard Friday Practice sessions as he finished in P10 and P11 in the FP1 and FP2 sessions at the Spa-Francorchamps track finishing ahead of his teammate Fernando Alonso, who finished P12 in both sessions.
Heading into the FP3 session, Lance Stroll was one of the drivers eager to impress and build momentum before the all-important qualifying. But his crash at Eau Rouge brought out a red flag as he was unable to control a slide while climbing the corner to Radillon. The Aston Martin driver finished the session in P7 despite the heavy crash.
Stroll's AMR24 sustained heavy damage to the left front corner and left front wheels as the Canadian was taken to the medical center for further checks. The FP3 session was resumed with two minutes remaining as the rain intensified after the red flag.
Lance Stroll previews the Belgian GP this weekend
Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll said that he was 'looking forward' to racing at the Spa-Francorchamps track this weekend.
In his pre-race press conference, the three-time podium finisher said:
"Yeah, for sure. I'm looking forward to it. It's a great track. It's a place I always enjoy coming back to. And yeah, we've been quick on the straights this year, so hoping we can have a strong weekend."
"I think we improved the car a little bit in the last few races for sure. Hungary wasn't our most competitive event. I think we were a bit better in Silverstone. I think we're better on the longer straights. So I'm hoping we can be good this weekend," he added.
After the two practice sessions, Lance Stroll was upbeat about the performances and pointed out that they experimented on some aspects, adding (via F1.com):
"It's always nice coming back to Spa, it's a great track and a lot of fun to drive around here. We got a lot of laps in over the two sessions. We tried a few different things on the car and we'll learn a lot from that. Tomorrow looks set to be wet so that brings its own challenges and we'll work hard to try and take advantage of any unpredictability."
The damage to the AMR24 wasn't terminal as the car was brought back to the garage during the FP3 session itself and would give the mechanics ample time to make the repairs and send Lance Stroll out in the qualifying session later at the Belgian GP.
