Stroll apologises to FIA for behaviour at Qatar GP

Lance Stroll's billionaire father Lawrence owns the Aston Martin F1 team

Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll has apologised to motorsport's governing body for his behaviour after qualifying at last weekend's F1 Qatar Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old was under investigation by the FIA's compliance officer for potentially breaking F1 rules.

An FIA spokesperson said the compliance officer had received an apology and issued an official warning to Stroll.

An FIA statement said: "The compliance officer has noted this apology and issued a written warning, reminding Lance of his responsibilities as a competitor bound by the FIA Code of Ethics and other FIA ethical and conduct guidelines set forth by the sporting regulations.

"The FIA maintains a zero-tolerance stance against misconduct and condemns any actions that may lead to physical harassment."

Stroll's actions in Qatar came after he had been knocked out during the first session of qualifying, in which he lapped 1.122 seconds slower than team-mate Fernando Alonso.

The Spanish two-time world champion went on to qualify fourth for the grand prix, continuing his streak of consistence dominance over his Canadian colleague.

It was the fifth consecutive weekend in which Stroll had been knocked out of qualifying after the first session.

Stroll then used an expletive in a monosyllabic TV interview afterwards, in which he said just seven words in response to three questions. The interview was not part of the FIA's investigation, BBC Sport understands.

Later in the weekend, Stroll admitted to being "in a rut and it's not getting better", and said he "hated having a bad day".

Stroll has out-qualified Alonso only twice all year and his average lap-time deficit to the former Alpine driver is the largest between any pair of team-mates on the grid.

Alonso, who is fourth in the championship behind only Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, has scored nearly four times as many points as Stroll, who is only 10th.

All seven of the podium finishes Aston Martin have recorded this season have been earned by Alonso.

Aston Martin are owned by Stroll's father, the Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll.