Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has called for stronger action against Lance Stroll following his “life-threatening manoeuvre” at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
During Saturday's sprint race in Sao Paulo, Stroll's Aston Martin teammate Sebastian Vettel tried to overtake him on the approach to Turn 4, only for the Canadian to make a last gasp dash to his left to block the move. It forced Vettel onto the grass, and sparks flew from his car as he was pushed dangerously close to the barrier.
The FIA sanctioned Stroll for his actions, handing him a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points on his super licence. It came just a race after he was involved in a racing incident with Pierre Gasly in Mexico, but on that occasion it was the Frenchman deemed at fault.
And now Villeneuve, who won the world title with Williams in 1997, has weighed in on the 24-year-old: “What I’m also excited about is Lance Stroll and the penalty system of the FIA,” he wrote in his post-race column for Formule1.nl.
“[Max] Verstappen was given a five-second penalty, while he was not given any space by [Lewis] Hamilton. It was aggressive from both sides, a racing incident in my view. But Lance Stroll received a 10-second penalty on Saturday for a life-threatening manoeuvre.
“The way he swings and blocks, that shouldn’t be allowed. That’s not racing. He did it in Austin, in Mexico he was aggressive with Gasly and now this. The FIA doesn’t punish this hard enough, not even in the junior series, and so it keeps happening."
Stroll will have a new team partner in 2023, with Vettel set to retire following this weekend's season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The German will be replaced by another F1 icon in Fernando Alonso, who Stroll collided with at the US Grand Prix last month.
And Villeneuve warned that in the next campaign, the Spaniard may not be as forgiving as the departing German: “Sebastian Vettel, his team-mate and the victim of the incident, is a true gentleman. But I don’t think Fernando Alonso will be so calm next year.”
Stroll has amassed 14 points this season, 22 behind Vettel. He has a season best finish of sixth, achieved at the Singapore Grand Prix in October.
