Stroll felt as if his final Q1 lap had been severely disrupted by poor tire setup, traffic and dirty air. This prompted the Canadian to “send” him into the final turns at Marina Bay.
But after running over the exit barrier, the back of his AMR23 came off and struck the outside wall before debris slid back across the circuit to bring out the red flag.
While Stroll was cleared of injury following a precautionary assessment at the medical center on Sunday morning, he and the team “together” made the decision to withdraw from the race.
When asked by Motorsport.com whether Stroll’s gamble to make up time at the final corner to risk a crash was the right approach, team boss Krack said it dispels the idea that Stroll is not committed to Formula One.
“This is proof that it’s complete,” Krack said. “So, for all the people who think it’s not, to go into this corner this quickly, you have to have some commitment.”
“I think this is further proof that he has it all.”
Stroll was praised for his determination to compete in the opening match of the 2023 season in Bahrain after a cycling accident, in which he fractured both wrists, forcing him to miss pre-season testing.
But come the Dutch Grand Prix in late August, Stroll – whose father Lawrence owns an Aston Martin – was forced to quash rumors that he was ready to leave Formula 1 to pursue a career playing tennis.
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Formula 1 Team
Photography: Zach Mauger / Motorsport pictures
Aston Martin Group CEO Martin Whitmarsh is understood to have expressed an interest in Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris in joining as Fernando Alonso’s team-mates.
“Lance is very strong. He’s a lot stronger than people think,” Krak added.
“I have seen him [carry out media duties after his crash]. “I’m not worried at all…he’ll be fine.”
Stroll passed all primary and secondary FIA tests and was cleared to race, but discussions with Aston Martin on Sunday morning led to his withdrawal.
But Krack says there is a “zero” chance of Stroll missing this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
“It’s just sore in general. If you have an accident like that, you have to think you’re squeezing your muscles all over the place,” he continued.
“It’s like when you have a really hard day in the gym, you don’t feel well. I think the right decision is to prepare for Japan.
“The most important thing is that he’s okay. Anything else is secondary.”
The AMR23’s chassis was repairable, and Aston Martin says it factored in major breakdown repair within the allowable cost limit.
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