(Singapore) Quebec driver Lance Stroll was the victim of a violent off-track accident from which he emerged unscathed on Saturday during the first qualifying session for the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix.

While participating in his final fast lap to secure a place in the second of three qualifying sessions, the Aston Martin driver violently crashed into a barrier in the final corner before his car crashed. stopped in the middle of the track, the left front wing torn off.

Stroll was able to get out of his vehicle under his own power. He still had to go to the medical center to undergo the usual examinations but was then discharged.

His accident left him in 20th and last place in the qualifying session.

” I am correct. I’m frustrated because we have a lot of work — in the garage and on the race track — ahead of us,” Stroll said in Aston Martin’s official statement.

“I struggled to find grip throughout the qualifying session. We had a bad turn with traffic before my final push and we were stopped for the weighbridge. I left a few seconds behind Pierre (Gasly), and so it didn’t go as we had planned. When I saw that my lap was not improving, I pushed very hard in the last corner to try to gain time, and that’s where it went wrong. We’ll see what we can salvage tomorrow in the race,” added Stroll.

Aston Martin officials and teammate Fernando Alonso said they were relieved that Stroll was unhurt after his crash.

“The only thing that matters today is that Lance is OK after the qualifying crash,” said Aston Martin chief executive Mike Krack.

Earlier in the day, Stroll set the 14th fastest time in the third free practice session, finishing one place behind Alonso. The latter will start the race from seventh place on Sunday.

Carlos Sainz Jr., on Ferrari, dominated this third session before earning the leading position for Sunday’s race at the end of the three qualifying sessions.

Sainz fils will occupy the first box on the starting grid in front of George Russell, on Mercedes. Charles Leclerc, in Ferrari, and Lando Norris, in McLaren, will start third and fourth, respectively.

“I’m more confident especially because of the track configuration. I think it’s a little easier to hold a position on the track,” said Sainz fils, who fears, however, that the Ferraris will have less power than other teams during the race, including the Mercedes.

“It might be that we have to, once again, race a bit defensively, but I don’t rule out that even around this track we can protect our first place on the grid,” Sainz fils also said.

Furthermore, in an unexpected and unusual outcome, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was unable to participate in the third qualifying session and will start from 11th place after completing the second session seven thousandths behind second to Liam Lawson, on AlphaTauri.

His teammate Sergio Perez will start two boxes behind.

Both Red Bull drivers have won every race since the start of the season and Verstappen came to Singapore hoping to score an 11th consecutive victory.

Speaking on team radio, Verstappen said it was an “absolutely shocking experience”.

“It’s of course very difficult to overtake in Singapore, on the street circuit. For this reason, I don’t have high expectations tomorrow. We have had so many successful weekends this year, we can be proud of what we have achieved so far. It’s more important to understand where our problems are this weekend. »

Verstappen and Red Bull’s struggles have made Leclerc optimistic.

“This is the best opportunity since the start of the season, certainly, for another team to prevent a sweep of all races by Red Bull in 2023,” admitted the Ferrari driver.

Russell saw things somewhat the same way.

“It’s a great opportunity, at the end of the week, to go for a victory,” said the British driver, who praised the work of his team in finding the right settings for him to ride on the Marina Bay street circuit. .

Furthermore, Verstappen was not penalized by a decline in his position on the starting grid on Sunday, even though he was the subject of an investigation for three incidents where he allegedly hindered other drivers.

He received a reprimand, his first of the season, for stopping his car near the exit of the pit lane, and a fine of 5,000 euros ($7,207 CDN) for slowing down Yuki Tsunoda, a driver for AlphaTauri.

Verstappen has been found not at fault in a case of obstructing Williams driver Logan Sargeant. He said he tried to avoid an accident in heavy traffic.

So far this season, Verstappen has won races starting from sixth in Belgium and ninth in Miami. However, Red Bull performed much better on these two circuits than so far in Singapore.

During free practice sessions, Verstappen and Perez lamented that their cars seemed unbalanced.