Covid infection had negative effect on Stroll at Portimao and Imola races
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Lance Stroll was one of the first drivers to miss a race last season due to a positive corona test. During the Eifel Grand Prix he was replaced by Nico Hulkenberg, but one race later he was back. With hindsight he says that Covid affected him physically more than he admitted at the time.
During the unveiling of the AMR21, the Aston Martin car that Stroll will drive this season, the young Canadian said that it had particularly affected his performance in the two races after the Nürburgring. "I had no energy, didn't feel good physically and also mentally it was difficult," said Stroll, who at the time underestimated how much impact the virus would have on him.
Dramatic weekend in Portugal
Looking back at the two races Stroll is talking about, the Portuguese Grand Prix and the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he was not performing at his best. The weekend in Portimão was particularly bad. Here he collided several times with other drivers (including Max Verstappen) and because of the last collision eventually dropped out of the race.
A few weeks later in Turkey, it became clear that the virus does not have to have long-term consequences. Stroll was back to full fitness and enjoyed the highlight of his career. On a wet Istanbul Park he was fastest in qualifying for his first ever pole position.