close
close

Brazilian fans chanted the name of a ‘special’ driver as Lance Stroll crashed at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Brazilian fans chanted the name of a ‘special’ driver as Lance Stroll crashed at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Aston Martin was busy at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with one of the most hectic Sundays in recent Formula 1 history.

The Grand Prix of São Paulo hosted the first qualifying session in F1 history, meaning teams prepared their cars before the sun rose.

Conditions were still very tricky but good enough for qualifying to take place, but that’s where things started to unravel Aston Martin.

Both cars got through Q1 when Franco Colapinto crashed before Carlos Sainz found the barriers in Q2.

Lance walk was the next driver to retire, but not before him and his teammate Fernando Alonso had set times quickly enough for the top ten shootout.

The Spaniard also crashed, leaving Aston Martin with a lot of work to do in the few hours before the race started.

Remarkably, Aston Martin managed to get both cars on the grid, but things didn’t get any better at that point.

The car of Aston Martin's Canadian driver Lance Stroll is taken off the track after a crash before the start of the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Sao Paulo...
Photo by MIGUEL SCHINCARIOL/AFP via Getty Images

Nineteen cars started the formation, but only 18 cars returned and Stroll was the man who failed to navigate the first lap of the circuit.

His Aston Martin stranded in the gravel outside turn four and the Brazilian fans in the crowd chanted the name of Felipe Drugovich when the 26-year-old became stuck.

Brazilian fans chant Felipe Drugovich’s name after Lance Stroll’s miserable Brazilian Grand Prix

Jolyon Palmer thinks Stroll had a problem with his car that caused him to spin away as soon as he touched the brakes on the way to Descida do Lago.

He was stopped for a while, with his racing engineer still telling him what to do with the car to get it ready for the start of the Grand Prix, unaware that Stroll had stopped.

Stroll came on the team radio and said: ‘I’ve crashed’ and while his engineer asked him about any damage to the front wing and asked him to return to the pits, he got the car running again.

Unfortunately he tried to return to the circuit via a deep gravel path and became stranded. He simply said “I’m stuck” on the radio before getting out of the car.

READ MORE: The life of Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll outside F1, from fortune to girlfriend

The Brazilian fans on that part of the song chanted “Drugo!” as he spun around, which turned into “Drugovich!” when his race ended in the gravel trap.

In one video op Instagramread a fan caption: “Wandel losing control on his formation lap and the crowd chanting Drugovich’s name. Brazilian sympathy is powerful.”

Head of MP Motorsport Paolo Angilella called Drugovich ‘special’ However, while he won the F2 title in 2022, it seems like he will never get his chance in F1 with Aston Martin.

Felipe Drugovich is suffering from the curse of the Formula 2 champion at Aston Martin

After three seasons in F2, Drugovich won the championship in 2022, signing for Aston Martin.

It was seen as a brilliant step forward for the Brazilian, who had not previously been involved in an F1 team’s junior program in his career.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the Aston Martin F1 Team, from team boss to origins

Unfortunately, Aston Martin signed Alonso the winter after his F2 victory, meaning he would not be promoted to Sebastian Vettel’s vacant seat.

Stroll’s position in the team is unassailable, no matter how many mistakes he makes because of his father’s role in the team.

Alonso has signed a contract until the end of 2026 and if Aston Martin wants to win championships, they will look to replace the Spaniard with the best possible driver, rather than promoting Drugovich.

That’s no surprise Max Verstappen is on Aston Martin’s radarmeaning Drugovich may have to move on, despite Brazilian fans desperate to see him in the car.

Related posts