Lance Stroll has received a warning from the FIA’s compliance officer after appearing to shove a team member during the Qatar Grand Prix weekend.
The Aston Martin driver was eliminated from Q1 during Friday qualifying for last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, to his visible frustration.
After arriving back in the team’s garage following the session, Stroll threw his steering wheel out of the cockpit of his AMR22 in frustration. Moments later, he attempted to make his way to the back of the garage but was approached by his osteopath and performance coach, Henry Howe.
Formula 1’s television broadcast appeared to show Stroll push Howe as he reached the back of the garage. He then offered minimal answers to reporters when speaking in the paddock media pen after the session.
The FIA announced Stroll’s behaviour was being investigated in a statement on Tuesday, disclosing that the driver was in dialogue with their compliance officer, Paolo Basarri, over whether he had broken the the governing body’s rules. However, the FIA did not specify what the potential breach Stroll was being investigated for was.
Today, in a statement, the FIA announced that Stroll had formally apologised for his actions in Qatar. In response, Basarri issued Stroll with a written warning to remind the Aston Martin driver of his behavioural obligations and its zero-tolerance policy on ‘physical harassment’.
The FIA’s Code of Ethics states in section 1.4 that “all forms of harassment against participants to the FIA activities, be it physical, mental, professional or sexual, are prohibited.”
Stroll has not yet made any public comment on his apology or on the FIA’s warning. He currently sits in tenth place in the constructors’ championship on 47 points, six places and 136 points below team mate Fernando Alonso.
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2023 F1 season
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