Damaged wing disrupts Stroll's progress in Türkiye

Firmly installed at the head of the Turkish Grand Prix, Lance stroll seemed set for a first-rate performance on the wet track at Istanbul Park. But the Canadian then experienced a clear drop in speed, failing to keep up with the pace of the leaders, including his teammate Sergio Pérez.

Without immediate explanations after the finish of the race, Racing Point communicated this Monday on a possible explanation.

“During routine inspection of the car after the race, we discovered damage under Lance Stroll's front wing, which was a major contributor to the graining issues he experienced during his stints on the tires intermediaries in Turkey, indicates the team on its social networks.

Lance reported poor tire performance, significant understeer and graining starting on the 17th lap of the race. Switching to a new set of intermediates on lap 36 failed to resolve the problem, with the graining becoming even more severe.

One of the elements on the underside of the front wing had become detached and lodged in such a way that caused a significant loss of front downforce, which contributed to an increase in graining.

Data during the race confirmed that there was a significant loss of front downforce, but with no visible damage to the top of the front wing, not to mention the low grip conditions, it was difficult to confirm if the data was correct. »

Racing Point was, however, able to count on Sergio Pérez to secure an important second place with a view to third place in the Manufacturers' championship against McLaren et Renault.

Discover the full report and analysis of the Turkish Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondent in Istanbul, in AUTO issue 2287hebdo, available this evening in digital version and this Wednesday on newsstands.