Lance Stroll’s replacement, Felipe Drugovich, is currently on hold as the Canadian has now been confirmed for Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The British Aston Martin team has confirmed that its driver will compete in the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first round of the 2023 F1 season.

Canadian Lance Stroll will drive the Aston Martin AMR23 this weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix, the opening round of the 2023 Formula One season.

Recovery questioned…

Lance Stroll suffered a wrist injury in a cycling accident a few days before the F1 winter test and was hastily replaced by the team’s reserve driver, Brazilian Felipe Drugovich. It was thought that the injury sustained could well have been serious enough to take out Lance for a few races, but the Canadian appears to be pushing himself to be present during the opener in Bahrain.

After the winter test, Aston Martin said that Drugovich would be selected to race in Bahrain if Lance Stroll was declared unfit to drive in the first race of the year, but the British manufacturer’s team confirmed on Thursday that its regular driver would take part in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

“It was frustrating not to be in Bahrain for pre-season testing and I was disappointed to miss the three-day practice,” said Lance Stroll.

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“However, given the injury to my wrist, the team and I thought it best to focus on recovery so I could be ready for this weekend and the long season ahead.”

“It was an unfortunate accident – I fell off my bike when my tyre went over a hole in the ground – but fortunately the damage was not significant and a successful minor surgery on my right wrist resolved the problem very quickly. Since then, I’ve been working hard with my team to make sure I’m fully fit to compete this weekend.”

“I would like to thank the F1 community for their support and confidentiality, as well as the team for helping me recover. Now I’m ready to focus on the race this weekend – something I’m really looking forward to.”

However, the Aston Martin team has said that Felipe Drugovich and Stoffel Vandoorne will remain on hand as the team’s reserve drivers this weekend.

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