Adrian Newey defended Lance Stroll, stating that the Canadian driver has a “bad rap” outside of the Aston Martin team. Stroll has had notable mistakes since joining Formula 1 in 2017, including an incident at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend, where he damaged his car in FP1 and received a grid penalty.
Team principal Andy Cowell took responsibility for the unclear radio call that led to Stroll’s issues at Monaco, resulting in a broken wishbone and a gearbox change. Stroll’s missed laps due to the incident were deemed a setback.
Newey, in his new role at Aston Martin, praised Stroll’s abilities and emphasized that the driver is better than his reputation suggests, comparing him favorably to past and current teammates. Newey also expressed admiration for Fernando Alonso and mentioned his long-standing desire to work with the two-time world champion.
