Lance Stroll did not hide his irritation during the 2026 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix. An Aston Martin radio transmission, which was not aired during the race broadcast, captured the moment the Canadian lost his temper with his engineer, Gary Gannon, amid the team’s struggles at Monza.
The complaint came after Stroll reported battery problems. At the restart, the driver was already having trouble to gain speed and was left behind by Sergio Perez’s Cadillac in the acceleration after the Parabolica. Shortly after, Stroll managed to pass Alex Albon’s Williams on the main straight. However, while trying to stay in the fight, he radioed: “Battery….”
Gannon responded by asking for a change to the car’s setup: “Mode nine, mode nine.”
Albon regained pace and overtook Stroll again as they approached the first chicane. The engineer then repeated the instruction: “Mode nine when you can to recover the package.”
That was the moment when Stroll reacted more sharply. “You always tell me that so late! Like, **** wake up!”
The Aston Martin problems were not limited to performance. On lap 27, Gannon warned of a hydraulic failure and told Stroll to stop the car immediately: “Stop the car, Lance, stop the car. We have a hydraulic problem. Do not shift and the pedal will stay long. The pedal will stay long and the steering will be heavy, so stop the car in a safe place.”
Stroll retired after 26 laps, with a suspected hydraulic issue. The result capped a difficult Sunday for Aston Martin, which also saw Fernando Alonso out of the race due to damage.
