Stroll says he needs to ‘reset’ ahead of Australia as he explains cause of Saudi Arabian Grand Prix crash

Lance Stroll has admitted that a “mistake” led to his crash in the early stages of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with the Aston Martin driver now keen to bounce back in time for the next race on the calendar in Australia.

After starting from P10 on the grid, Stroll made gains as the action got under way at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, having overtaken Yuki Tsunoda to take P9 on the first lap.

READ MORE: Verstappen seals assured victory in Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Bearman scores points on debut

Things backfired for the Canadian on Lap 6 of 50, though, when he clipped the wall before crashing into the barriers at Turn 23. While he was unharmed in the incident, Stroll was immediately out of the race, making him one of only two retirees along with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.

In terms of what caused the accident, Stroll explained: “I just touched the inside left at Turn 22, so just a mistake.”

And with a brief pause before the Australian Grand Prix takes place from March 22-24, Stroll added that the plan would be to “reset and go to Australia”.

WATCH: Stroll crashes out of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after clipping wall

The 25-year-old reflected further on the weekend a little later on, adding: “A disappointing way to conclude a good weekend. I’d been pushing really hard in those opening laps – the cars around us were definitely faster and the tyres were already struggling. I was trying to build a gap and just clipped the wall.

"There are positives to take away, the team has scored points in both races and we feel there’s more pace to unlock in the car. I’m already looking ahead to Australia – it’s a race and a country that I really enjoy and I’m sure we can pick up the momentum again.”

HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Verstappen takes the win and Bearman shines

Stroll’s exit from the race in Jeddah meant that team mate Fernando Alonso was Aston Martin’s sole finisher. The Spaniard ended the event in P5, bringing the team’s total points tally so far to 13.