Johnny Herbert has leapt to the defence of Lance Stroll amid criticism of the Canadian after he crashed into Daniel Ricciardo while behind a safety car.
The incident happened during the Chinese Grand Prix as the train of cars approached the hairpin towards the end of the lap. Stroll's team-mate Fernando Alonso locked a wheel, causing several drivers to slam on the brakes.
Stroll was caught out and didn't stop in time before ploughing into the back of Ricciardo's RB. That annoyed the Aussie - but he was infuriated when told that the Aston Martin driver's initial reaction over the radio had been to blame him for braking too hard.
Ricciardo raged: "I'd slowly started to calm down, and then I was told what Lance thinks of the incident. Apparently, I'm an idiot, and it was my fault. That made my blood boil, because it's clear as day and it's also behind a safety car.
"The only thing you've got to do is watch the car in front. We can't predict what the leader's going to do. The race doesn't start until the control line. I'm doing my best not to say what I want to say, but f*** that guy. And I'm being nice, too! But if that's what he thinks..."
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Oscar Piastri also picked up damage as the shunt pushed Ricciardo's car into the back of his and he too was critical of Stroll. The McLaren racer said: "Everyone else didn’t crash into each other... I think in that kind of corner you always kind of need to expect that."
Stroll is regularly criticised whenever he puts a foot wrong, given the fact his billionaire father Lawrence owns the team. And former F1 driver Herbert has some sympathy for the 25-year-old who he believes is given a hard time.
Lance Stroll was panned for crashing into Daniel Ricciardo behind the safety car in Shanghai (AFP via Getty Images)Herbert told Fastest Payout Online Casino: "Lance gets criticised unfairly sometimes because his dad is a Canadian billionaire who has got the team and Lance is in the team and critics say he is there only because of that. He has been on pole position, he has led races in F1 and shown some real speed.
"He won the European F3 Championship which isn't easy and did so even when people were saying his dad owned the team. You still have to pedal it, still do the job in the car. He does do that. But he’s not having a good time of it this season. He is struggling. He had a bit of a tough time last year too.
"I’ve always backed him because he has put in some good showings. But is he going to be world champion? Probably not because he is not consistent enough. He and Aston Martin are at a crossroads... To improve and move forward you have got to have both your drivers doing the job that is expected of them - it doesn't matter who you are. You have either got to beat your team-mate or be there or thereabouts and that is not quite happening."
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