Photo: © IMAGO

Aston Martin Formula 1 star Lance Stroll is facing a bizarre FIA penalty having been summoned to the stewards following qualifying for the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix.

The 26-year-old is currently under investigation for failing to follow race directors’ instructions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya having allegedly failed to adhere to the drivers’ weighing procedure during Saturday’s qualifying.

The FIA’s post-qualifying procedure clearly states: “Any drivers who finished participating in the qualifying sessions after Q1 and Q2 must proceed to the FIA scales through the pit-lane immediately after they have returned to the team’s garage.”

As Stroll qualified P14 on Saturday, he was ruled out of the competitive session after Q2 but is said to have failed to head straight to the FIA scales, instead waiting in his Aston Martin garage.

Article 35 of the sporting regulations declares: “In the event of any breach of these provisions for the weighing of cars the stewards may drop the driver such number of grid positions as they consider appropriate or disqualify him from the sprint session or the race.”

Stroll investigated over Spanish GP blunder

An official FIA statement released immediately after the Spanish GP qualifying read: “After the second Qualifying session, the driver Lance Stroll, car number 18, did not follow the post Qualifying drivers weighing procedure as laid out in the Race Director’s Event Notes, item 13.

“Firstly the driver stayed 5 minutes in the teams garage before proceeding to the scales and secondly he did not proceed through the pit-lane.”

The matter has been referred to the stewards for their consideration and Stroll’s fate will be revealed shortly with a penalty decision expected later this evening to confirm whether the strange error will impact his qualifying position of P14 ahead of Sunday’s grand prix.