Aston Martin Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll intends to race in the 2023 season opener in Bahrain, saying he has sufficiently recovered from a “minor surgery” on his wrist.
Stroll sat out the sole pre-season test at the same venue last week as a consequence of the injury, which he claims he sustained in a bicycle crash in Spain.
Reserve driver Felipe Drugovich stood in for Stroll during the test and was ultimately named by Aston Martin as its definite back-up for the Bahrain Grand Prix – but the team continued to insist it would give Stroll every chance to race if he could.
And the team and its Canadian driver have now suggested he will indeed make the grid.
“It was frustrating not to be out in Bahrain for the pre-season test and I was disappointed to miss the three days of running,” said Stroll.
“However, given the injury to my wrist, the team and I felt it was best to focus on recovery so that I would be ready for this weekend and the long season ahead.
“It was an unfortunate accident – I fell from my bike when my tyre caught a hole in the ground – but thankfully the damage was not significant and a successful minor surgery on my right wrist fixed the problem very quickly. Since then, I’ve been working hard with my team to ensure that I am fully fit to compete this weekend.
“I would like to thank the F1 community for their support and privacy, as well as the team who have helped my recovery. Now I’m ready to get my head down and concentrate on racing this weekend – something I’m really looking forward to.”
Aston and Stroll’s declaration is presumably not a guarantee that he will race, as logic dictates his fitness will be assessed after his first session in the car on Friday.
Stroll would need to pass the FIA’s extraction test and is likely to have an examination specific to the nature of his injuries.
Aston Martin, which has announced the news as that of Stroll “participating in the weekend” rather than racing for sure, has made it clear that Drugovich, as well as Stoffel Vandoorne, “will remain on-site” as reserve drivers.
