A frustrating Sunday afternoon for Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team saw both, Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll retire from the race due to mechanical issues. Having started the race in eleventh and twelfth; an ERS issue would put Vettel out of the race as early as lap eleven; while Stroll was asked to pit on lap forty to retire the car.
Mike Krack, Team Principal at Aston Martin, says that the decision to retire the Canadian from the race was a “precaution” in order to save the power unit from unnecessary mileage, which lowers the risk of needing to take an engine penalty in the final six races.
“Lance battled hard in the early laps, running as high as tenth, but we did not quite have the pace on this track layout and, as the race progressed, it became clear that points were out of reach. With 14 laps to go, we retired Lance’s car as a precaution to save engine mileage.
“Sebastian’s race was relatively short when he was forced to retire on lap 11 with a suspected ERS issue. He was losing power before smoke appeared and we asked him to stop the car.
“The focus now moves to Singapore at the end of this month – a circuit where we expect a more completive showing,” the Team Principal concluded.
Image: Aston Martin F1 Media Site.