Stroll victim of a ‘kiss’ at unforgiving track

Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack has reacted to Lance Stroll's race-ending crash in Saudi Arabia, stating the incident came following a “kiss” with the barrier.

Stroll lightly brushed the inside of Turn 22 on lap seven of the race which damaged his suspension and sent him into the wall.

It marked the second time during the race weekend that Stroll made a mistake at the same corner, having touched the inside wall during the first practice session.

Reflecting on the difficult race for Stroll, Krack insisted that the issues started with the team's lack of pace on the Medium compound during the opening laps.

“We were struggling in the beginning of the race with both cars, I don't know if you saw that,” Krack told media including RacingNews365.

“Both cars, the first five, six laps on the Mediums were really struggling. Fernando was passed by Oscar [Piastri] and Lance had the whole pack behind him.

“So we need to understand what happened there, they had to really push to keep up.”

'Stroll must turn the page'

Stroll was almost joined on the sidelines when teammate Alonso hit the wall in the first sector later in the race but survived the contact to take the chequered flag in fifth place.

With the walls so close to the drivers around such a high-speed circuit, Krack asserted that it is “unforgiving” for drivers who make mistakes.

“It’s like a kiss,” Krack said regarding Stroll's incident. ”Fernando had one later.

“He [Stroll] unfortunately went off but nothing happened, he's okay. It's unforgiving.

“You see circuits like this, they drive like millimetres from the walls. It's unfortunate but these things happen. We turn the page and move on.”