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Lance Stroll's Aston Martin (Source: X)
Lance Stroll faced a dramatic incident during the first practice session (FP1) of the 2024 United States Grand Prix, as his Aston Martin caught fire. It happened when his car was parked in the garage at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. The incident sent shockwaves through the paddock, with a video of his smoking car quickly going viral across social media platforms.
As the session progressed, a large plume of smoke was seen billowing from Stroll's car, which was stationary in the team garage. Aston Martin mechanics and other team members were seen hurriedly moving away from the vehicle as the situation escalated. Thankfully, the fire did not lead to any injuries, but it raised serious concerns for the team ahead of the sprint qualifying session scheduled for later in the day.
Here is the video:
What the hell just happened there? #F1#Formula1#USGPhttps://t.co/4IjbVQX4o2
— Extreme Cars (@extremecars__) October 18, 2024
The fire came after Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz set the pace in FP1, clocking a fastest lap of 1:33.602. Sainz’s teammate, Charles Leclerc, was only two-thousandths of a second behind, completing a Ferrari one-two in what appeared to be a strong start for the team. Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, rounded out the top three with a time of 1:33.855, followed by McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who secured fourth and fifth spots, respectively.
Lance Stroll finishes 15th in FP1!
Stroll, who could only manage a 15th-place finish in the session with a time of 1:34.619, had been struggling with pace before the fire incident. His teammate, Fernando Alonso, fared slightly better, finishing ninth with a time of 1:34.112.
As the sprint weekend continues, teams will look to address the challenges faced in FP1, particularly Aston Martin, who must now focus on getting Stroll's car back on track for the upcoming sessions. The fire incident adds an additional layer of complexity for the team, which will be hoping to avoid further disruptions as the Grand Prix weekend unfolds.