Sky Sports lashes out at Stroll and Aston Martin team over media handling

During the media session in Montreal, analyst Ralf Schumacher noticed Lance Stroll chewing gum while speaking to reporters. The former German driver said he would never have done that himself and called the behaviour 'a bit disrespectful.' However, Schumacher has observed that criticising Stroll tends to cause irritation within the Aston Martin team.

Peter Hardenacke, a reporter for Sky Sports Germany, mentioned on the Boxengasse podcast that the British racing team has been asked several times to arrange a one-on-one interview with Stroll. However, the team has held back, likely because the channel has been critical of Stroll.

"Also for the Canadian Grand Prix, that request was made. It was declined. And then you have to accept that people talk about you. That's not insulting or hurting someone, those are objective opinions," says Hardenacke.

The German also notices that Aston Martin isn't the only team that operates in this way. "At Red Bull, it's the same. There's also a very sensitive team principal in recent months (Christian Horner). But if there's criticism, you can also have a one-on-one talk, to discuss it. That too has been requested. Often, that then doesn't happen."

Undoubtedly, the reporter is referring to the relationship between Horner and Schumacher, which has cooled down considerably after some sharp statements in recent months. Schumacher has an excuse: "Often it's the translation or something's been taken out of context," Schumacher stated.

The former F1 driver added that if he has made a mistake, he will always apologise.