Lance Stroll faced an unusual challenge during the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix when his team radio failed for the entire race.

This communication breakdown forced Aston Martin to rely on an old-fashioned solution: using a pit board to relay messages. The team used it to inform Stroll of crucial decisions, including pit stops and adjustments to his car's settings.

Max Verstappen experienced a similar issue during the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix, though with a key difference: he could hear his team’s instructions, but his engineer couldn’t hear him. Unlike Stroll’s situation, it had little effect on Verstappen’s performance, as the issue lasted only a few laps, and he ultimately went on to win the race.

Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz highlighted the difficulty of racing without a radio, especially since Stroll started further down the grid and needed precise strategy to make up positions. "They had to communicate with Lance the old way," Kravitz explained, noting how the lack of radio added an extra layer of complexity to his race.

After the race, Stroll himself commented on the issue, suggesting it had cost him a chance at a better result.

“It was a difficult race as I had no radio from the first lap so couldn't communicate with the team.

“We'd planned to stay on the medium tyre for slightly longer at the start of the race, but I could feel it dropping off quickly and wanted to get on the hard tyre. I just couldn't get that message through to the pit wall.

“It meant that, when I did come in, the team wasn't prepared for the stop and so it cost us about 20 seconds.

“We knew it was going to be a tough race, but I think P12 could have been possible without the radio issues causing a slow stop. As a team, we know where we need to improve the car but there's still a lot of work to do to get there.”

Aston Martin, currently fifth in the Constructors’ Championship, will see this as a minor challenge in a season full of twists and turns. With two races to go, their focus remains on ending the season well as they are looking forward to the arrival of famous F1 designer Adrian Newey in March 2025.