Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich will replace Lance Stroll at pre-season testing in Bahrain, sharing driver duties with Fernando Alonso, the team announced on Tuesday.
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team confirmed Wednesday that reserve driver, Felipe Drugovich, will substitute Lance Stroll at pre-season testing, scheduled to run in Bahrain from Thursday to Saturday.
On Tuesday, the Silverstone-based outfit revealed that the Canadian driver would miss pre-season testing due to an injury sustained during a minor training accident.
The statement released by the team reads: “While pre-season training on a bicycle in Spain, Lance Stroll was involved in a minor accident and sustained injuries which will result in him sitting out the pre-season test in Bahrain.”
Stroll also stated: “I’ve had an unfortunate accident while training on my bike in preparation for the season. I am determined to get back in the car, and I am excited about the season ahead with the team. I am motivated to bounce back from this setback as quickly as possible.”
With the Montreal-born recovering from injury, the Brazilian will be at the wheel of the AMR23 on Thursday morning, sharing driving duties with Fernando Alonso, who will take over in the afternoon.
As the squad outlined, the schedule for Friday and Saturday is due for confirmation.
Following a private test with the team held in Silverstone last year, Drugovich earned the testing mileage required to secure a Super Licence, which allowed him to drive in the first free practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, making his inaugural outing in a Formula One weekend.
Last September, the reigning Formula 2 champion joined the outfit by becoming the AMF1 Driver Development Programme’s first member.
The initiative aims to serve as a stairway for junior drivers to reach Formula One.
Late in January, the 22-year-old contested the challenging Race of Champions (ROC), staged in Sweden, finishing runner-up in the Nations Cup.
During the 2023 season, the Brazilian and Formula E World Champion, Stoffel Vandoorne, will act as the reserve driver for the British squad.
In addition, Aston Martin agreed with Mclaren Racing F1 to have access to both drivers if required for driving duties for the first 15 Grand Prix of the new season.
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