Australian Grand Prix: Lance Stroll and Nicholas Latifi rage after crash in qualifying
Nicholas Latifi and Lance Stroll were involved in a spectacular crash during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix which led to both turning the airwaves blue.
Both the Williams of Latifi and Stroll’s Aston Martin suffered serious damage in the clumsy all-Canadian collision during Q1 in Melbourne and a fierce blame game ensued.
Latifi pulled onto the track exit at turn four to let Stroll through for his only hot lap of the session after the Aston Martin crew needed extra time to prepare the car.
Stroll then slowed down, Latifi accelerated to go back past him on the inside but Stroll moved over, sending the Williams spiralling into the wall.
Lance Stroll steps out of his Aston Martin after a clumsy collision with the Williams of Nicholas Latifi put them both out of qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne
The rear end of the Williams was completely smashed up, while Stroll had to stop with damage to his front-right wheel.
Latifi raged on his team radio: ‘I don’t understand what he was doing. He wasn’t looking in his mirrors. The f***ing car’s destroyed!’
Stroll was equally angry, shouting: ‘Latifi man, what the f*** was he doing, he’s just f***ing hit me man!’
Qualifying was delayed by 15 minutes as the two wrecked cars were towed from the track and the debris swept up but the controversy isn’t over with stewards set to investigate more fully after the session.
Canadian driver Latifi said on Sky Sports: ‘He just turned in to me. I let him through because he was pushing to open a lap, or so I was told, then he aborted the lap. I went to get past him but he just turned.’
On Sky’s race commentary, Martin Brundle said: ‘I think Latifi was getting out of the way, letting cars through but there is nothing fast coming.
‘He’s let the Aston through and then as he’s gone to retake that… boom.
‘It’s a misunderstanding, a very expensive misunderstanding for both teams. What an expensive shunt.’
It continued Latifi’s nightmare start to the season after he crashed both in qualifying and the main race at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah.
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