Formula 1

Stroll out of pre-season testing due to cycling injuries

Published

1 month ago

20/02/2023

Lance Stroll, a driver for Aston Martin, will not be participating in the pre-season testing for the 2023 Formula 1 season due to injuries he sustained in a minor cycling accident in Spain.

The testing is scheduled to take place from Thursday to Saturday at the Bahrain International Circuit. Although Stroll is expected to make a quick recovery, the team cannot confirm his participation in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, which is set to take place a week after pre-season testing.

The team will assess Stroll’s fitness daily and provide an update before the Grand Prix.

If Stroll is unable to return in time, Aston Martin has two options: it can rely on reserve driver Felipe Drugovich or call on Stoffel Vandoorne, who has joined the team as a reserve driver for the year while continuing to drive for DS Penske in the Formula E championship.

Vandoorne will not be able to participate in the pre-season testing due to the fifth round of the Formula E season taking place in South Africa this weekend.

Stroll expressed his determination to return to the car as soon as possible and his excitement for the upcoming season with the team.

Stroll announced that he had an unfortunate accident while training on his bicycle in preparation for the season. Despite the setback, he is determined to return to the car and excited for the upcoming season with the team. He is motivated to bounce back as quickly as possible.

This incident is reminiscent of Fernando Alonso’s bicycle accident two years ago, which occurred prior to the start of the 2021 F1 season. Alonso suffered a fractured jaw and a few broken teeth when he was hit by a car while training near his home in Lugano, Switzerland.

However, the two-time world champion was able to participate in pre-season testing a few weeks later in Bahrain. It is uncertain whether Aston Martin will assign all three days of testing to Alonso or whether the team will also allow reserve driver Felipe Deuganovic to drive the new AMR23 car.

Stoffel Vandoorne, the team’s other substitute, is not available due to his participation in a Formula E championship round in Cape Town, South Africa. Last year, Daniel Ricciardo was forced to withdraw from pre-season testing with McLaren, and Lando Norris completed the three-day workload on his own.

The three-day F1 pre-season testing will begin on Thursday at 7:00 am GMT and finish at 4:30 pm GMT, with an hour-long lunch break from 11:00 am to 12:00 GMT. All three days of testing in Sakhir will follow the same schedule.

Stroll out of pre-season Stroll out of pre-season