Lance Stroll achieves F1 record no driver wants with 100 Q1 exits at Italian GP

Lance Stroll has done something no other Formula 1 driver has ever achieved - but it’s not a record he will be proud of. 

The Aston Martin driver set the unwanted milestone during qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix as he ended up 22nd and slowest at Monza. 

Stroll was less than a tenth slower than team-mate Fernando Alonso, who qualified three places ahead of him in 19th. 

In doing so, Stroll became the first driver to register 100 Q1 eliminations since the three-part qualifying system was introduced 20 years ago in 2006. 

Stroll suffered his first Q1 elimination on his grand prix debut for Williams at the 2017 Australian Grand Prix. 

In less than 10 years, the 27-year-old Canadian has gone on to break an F1 record none of his rivals will be envious of. 

Stroll was in his usual chatty mood after qualifying at Monza in an interview that lasted just 44 seconds. 

"It was what we expected [with the] engine," Stroll said with a clear lack of enthusiasm. "We're three seconds off, so we're not going to stay with the pack tomorrow.”

Aston Martin has been consistently down on power at Monza compared to its rivals, with speed trap figures revealing a staggering 20km/h deficit to the Mercedes cars. 

Worryingly, that is despite Honda bringing an upgraded F1 engine to the Dutch Grand Prix last time out. 

On the other side of the garage, Alonso was only able to complete a single push lap in Q1 due to an issue that Aston Martin is investigating. 

“We are currently investigating an issue with the car that kept us in the garage at the end of Q1," the two-time world champion said. 

"We missed the opportunity to use a fresh set of tyres, which meant our Qualifying was cut short and we did not get the chance to improve our lap time. We know we are behind our competitors, particularly with the lack of pace we have on the straights, which makes this circuit very tough.”