Lance Stroll will return for Aston Martin at 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix after recovering from a pre-season accident.
Stroll missed the three-day pre-season test last weekend due to suffering a wrist injury in a biking accident whilst preparing for the test, and was replaced by Felipe Drugovich who has vowed to help the team “maintain this momentum” after enjoying two positive test sessions.
There were even rumours of Sebastian Vettel returning if Stroll wasn’t fit for the season-opening race but the Canadian has since passed medical checks, and been cleared to participate in the Bahrain GP.
Speaking about what exactly happened, Stroll issued the following statement: “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.
“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.”
Stroll also thanked F1 fans and teams for providing “support and privacy”, as he commented: “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.”
Felipe Drugovich and Stoffel Vandoorne will remain on-site on reserve driver duty in case Stroll is forced to withdraw at any point during the weekend.
In other news, Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award winner, Luke Browning has signed with Hitech GP for 2023 F3 season.
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