Lance Stroll reached an unwanted milestone in Formula 1 by being eliminated in Q1 during the Italian Grand Prix qualifying. The Canadian became the first driver to record 100 eliminations in this phase since the current qualifying format was adopted in 2006.
Stroll finished the Monza session in 22nd and last place, less than a tenth behind Fernando Alonso, who placed 19th. The Canadian’s first Q1 elimination happened precisely on his F1 debut, at the 2017 Australian Grand Prix, when he was still with Williams.
After qualifying, Stroll did not hide his frustration with Aston Martin’s lack of performance. “That’s what we expected with the engine. We’re three seconds behind, so we won’t be able to keep up with the pack tomorrow,” he said.
The team has struggled particularly on the straights at Monza. Speed data indicated a gap of about 20 km/h to the Mercedes cars, even after Honda had brought an engine upgrade at the previous round, the Dutch GP.
Alonso also faced issues and managed to complete only one fast lap in Q1. “We are investigating a problem with the car that kept us in the garage at the end of Q1. We lost the chance to use a fresh set of tires, so our qualifying ended sooner than it should have,” he explained.
The Spaniard added that the straight-line limit remains one of the main obstacles. “We know we’re behind our rivals, especially due to the lack of pace on the straights, and that makes this circuit very difficult.”
