News Summary
- Lance Stroll drew attention for apparently ignoring children during the drivers’ presentation ahead of the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix.
- Fernando Alonso, by contrast, returned the children’s greetings, touching their outstretched hands as he passed.
- The contrasting reactions were captured on video, although Stroll has not publicly explained his behaviour.
Aston Martin teammates Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso attracted attention for contrasting reactions to young fans during the drivers’ presentation ahead of Sunday’s (November 1) Mexico City Grand Prix. While Alonso greeted children by touching their outstretched hands, Stroll walked past without acknowledging them, according to footage recorded at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
The video shows children waiting along the route used by the drivers during the pre-race ceremony, extending their hands in the hope of greeting the Formula 1 competitors.
Alonso responded by reaching towards the children and exchanging hand taps, creating a noticeably different scene from that involving his Canadian teammate.
Stroll, meanwhile, continued walking without making the same gesture, despite passing close to the young spectators.
The footage does not establish why Stroll chose not to interact with the children, and there has been no public explanation from the driver.
Aston Martin teammates face difficult Mexican GP
The episode occurred shortly before a challenging race for Aston Martin, which had struggled throughout the Mexican Grand Prix weekend.
Alonso qualified 18th after an ERS-related problem forced him to stop during Q1.
Stroll was also eliminated in the opening qualifying segment, leaving both Aston Martin drivers towards the back of the field.
The race begins at 14:00 local time, with Lewis Hamilton starting from pole for Ferrari.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its Formula 1 section.
