Following speculation regarding Lance Stroll’s fitness, Aston Martin issued a statement confirming that reserve driver Felipe Drugovich will drive at the 2023 season opener if the Canadian does not recover from his injury in time for the opening race.
On Sunday, Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team released a statement assuring the outfit “will continue to give Lance every chance to race, pending recovery from his injury. Should he not be fit to compete, then Felipe will drive the AMR23 alongside Fernando.”
Last Tuesday, the Silverstone-based squad revealed that Lance Stroll would miss pre-season testing in Bahrain due to an injury sustained during a minor accident while training on a bicycle in Spain.
After the three-day test concluded on Saturday, Aston Martin Team principal, Mike Krack, revealed to the press that he had spoken with four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel by phone, adding: “But this has been also last year, and this will continue in the future.”
Krack comments and the lack of information regarding the Montreal native current recovery status raised speculations about the possibility of retired Vettel replacing the son of Aston Martin chairman and owner Lawrence Stroll at the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix next weekend, which the team has now put to rest.
Preparing for the new Formula One season
Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich replaced the 24-year-old at the wheel of the AMR23 in Bahrain, sharing driving duties with two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso.
He took the car designed by former Red Bull aerodynamicist Dan Fallow to the track on Thursday and Saturday mornings, completing 117 laps.
The Brazilian driver assessed his time in the cockpit, stressing: “I have really enjoyed my time behind the wheel of the AMR23, and I think we have made good progress across the three days of running.
“I am pleased with the set-up changes made since my first day in the car; the team has done a really good job implementing the feedback Fernando and I gave.”
Meanwhile, Alonso, the most experienced driver on the 2023 grid, drove the AMR23 over the three days of winter testing, completing 270 laps.
The Spaniard will make his race debut with the team next weekend, setting off his 20th Formula One season.
During the final testing session, he recorded his fastest lap of the entire test in the afternoon, setting a 1.31.450s lap time, completing 80 laps.
In that regard, the 41-year-old commented: “It was…
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