Lance Stroll, Racing Point, Autodromo do Algarve, 2020

Stroll didn’t notice Verstappen because he was looking at his dash

2020 Portuguese Grand Prix

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Lance Stroll has explained how his collision with Max Verstappen during the second practice session came about.

The Racing Point driver tangled with the Red Bull at turn one. Verstappen was trying to overtake him at the time, and was part-way alongside when Stroll turned into the corner and they collided.

Verstappen had let Stroll overtake him a few corners earlier, not realising the Racing Point driver intended to begin another fast lap after crossing the line.

“We just had contact into turn one it was unfortunate,” explained Stroll. “I don’t think he was expecting me to be on a second push lap and I wasn’t expecting anyone to be racing me into turn one.”

Stroll said he wasn’t looking for Verstappen alongside him on the straight prior to the crash.

“He let me through into the last corner and I expected him to take a gap,” he said. “I was busy looking at some things on my dash down the main straight.

“Once I looked up I was just focused on the corner., I didn’t expect anyone to be alongside me and I don’t think he expected me to be on a second push. So an unfortunate end to the day.”

The stewards investigated the collision but ruled neither driver was largely to blame and did not penalise either of them.

“We already went to the stewards and cleared the air, it’s all good,” said Stroll.

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21 comments on “Stroll didn’t notice Verstappen because he was looking at his dash”

  1. Hiland (@flyingferrarim)
    23rd October 2020, 20:27

    I suppose awareness is not strong in this one!

    1. Verstappen is the driver behind who’s got a full view of the situation. It’s practice for god’s sake.

      1. Even in practice you need spatial awareness .

        1. Which Verstappen has always struggled with.

          How can he chase Stroll the length of the start/finish straight with Stroll’s DRS wide open, struggle to overtake him and not realise Stroll was on a hot lap?

          1. That’s not an issue with spatial awareness, but with analyzing the situation.

      2. Hiland (@flyingferrarim)
        23rd October 2020, 20:55

        @paeschli
        I agree that Max is “most” to blame. That does not neglect the fact that Stroll also needs to be aware of who is around him. From his own recollection, he had no idea Max was even close to him. That also implies that there was no “misunderstanding” between the two drivers that is being presented. It shows that Stroll had no idea Max was running right with him and Max was being too forceful in practice (aka had no business sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong).

        1. Hiland (@flyingferrarim)
          23rd October 2020, 20:59

          A misunderstanding between two drivers implies that both where aware of one another’s presence.

      3. The nature of these power units makes it technically impossible to carry out two flying laps and set representative times on both. The misunderstanding is thus easily understood.
        Both drivers made assumptions. It is almost always routine to check your mirrors in the braking zone.

  2. Looking at the dash, focusing on stuff on the steering wheel display. Fair enough as straights are the best places for doing this.

    1. RP need voice control for that car.
      “Hey Alexa, make the car go faster”

  3. Max just expected Lance to let him by, but he never ahead. Lance took the racing line. Good decision from the stewards.

    1. @silverstone

      It’s not a race, but practice. During practice, people are not supposed to race each other. It is more like qualifying. In qualifying, drivers can get a penalty if they are on a slow lap, but take the racing line, blocking a driver on a fast lap.

      In this case, Max thought that Lance was going to do a slow lap and was blocking him, while he was on a fast lap.

      1. Max thought Lance was doing a slow lap, however Lance was doing another racing lap. Because Max ‘thought’ Lance was slowing down he expected to be let through. He was wrong, so was Lance for watching his dash instead of his mirrors. Both at fault, good decision from the stewards.

  4. Verstappen thinks he has every right to where ever he wants …
    Too arrogant by far …cannot stand this guy ..he should have been punished

    1. Maybe next time you will get lucky

    2. After Baku 2018, I couldn’t trust his behaviour any longer and became his traitor. It was a decision that I never looked back…ever.

      1. That was Ricciardo’s fault. Over committed to the inside line. Gap was never there. Would have been no room to complete the pass going through the apex.

        1. To this day I still think it was Verstappen’s fault

  5. It’s 100% Verstappen’s fault. Stroll was clearly doing another quick lap. He shouldn’t have to slow down to let Verstappen through.

    Verstappen thought he was going to just bully his way through.

    Good on Stroll for chopping Verstappen.

    People blaming Stroll are like people blaming Rosberg for the Spain 2016 crash.

    1. You want to kill him or something?

  6. inb4 “Kill Verstappen” comments incoming

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