Aston Martin announced this afternoon that Lance Stroll would have to sit out the pre-season test after sustaining an injury in training.
Just days before the 2023 crop of cars are set to hit the Bahrain International Circuit, Aston Martin have revealed that one driver will miss out. The update the team posted didn’t specify what exactly Stroll’s injuries were, just that they were minor and had been sustained in a bicycle accident during his training in Spain.
The Silverstone based team say that the Canadian is expected to be fit for the opening race next weekend but that he will be assessed daily and the final decision on his participation in the Bahrain Grand Prix made closer to the time.
“I’ve had an unfortunate accident whilst training on my bike in preparation for the season,” Stroll said. “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.”
Aston Martin haven’t revealed at this time whether that now means Fernando Alonso will get to test the whole time or whether one of the team’s reserve drivers, Stoffel Vandoorne or Felipe Drugovitch, will get some track time instead.
There’s no mention of whether Stroll will be in Bahrain while testing is happening but if he’s not, that’ll mean he’d miss out on the pre-season photoshoots like Daniel Ricciardo did last year after feeling unwell and then testing positive for Covid.
