Monaco, May 23 (IANS) Lance Stroll has been handed a one-place grid penalty for Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix following his collision with Charles Leclerc during the first practice session on Friday. The incident occurred in the early stages of Free Practice 1 (FP1) when Stroll, having moved aside to let another car through, attempted to return to the racing line under braking at the tight Turn 6 hairpin.

Unaware that Ferrari’s Leclerc was right behind, the Aston Martin driver cut across and was hit from behind, causing damage to both cars and bringing out a red flag.

Leclerc’s Ferrari sustained front wing damage, while Stroll’s AMR24 suffered broken rear suspension and required a gearbox change, forcing the Canadian to sit out the rest of the session.

After reviewing video footage and hearing from both drivers and their teams, the stewards ruled that Stroll was “wholly to blame” for the incident. “The stewards determined that Car 18 (Stroll) cut across the path of Car 16 (Leclerc) at Turn 6, causing Car 16 to collide with Car 18,” read the decision document.

“Car 16 suffered damage as a result.”

The report added that Stroll had been warned by his team of Leclerc’s approach, but he failed to hear the radio message. The stewards noted that Leclerc had no chance to avoid the collision and that Stroll’s action directly caused the crash.

“We considered that Car 18 was wholly to blame for the collision. Car 16 was not in a position to avoid the collision that took place. In the circumstances, we imposed a one-grid position penalty for the race and one penalty point (on Stroll’s license).”

In addition to the one-place grid drop, Stroll has also received one penalty point on his super license.

The penalty adds to Aston Martin’s difficult start to the Monaco weekend, as they look to bounce back after a challenging few races. Stroll will be hoping to recover in Saturday’s all-important qualifying session on the streets of Monte Carlo.

–IANS

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