Aston Martin has confirmed that Lance Stroll is fit to race at the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend, having missed F1’s preseason shakedown after falling off his bike in Spain. Reserve driver Felipe Drugovich stood in for the Canadian and would’ve done so again for the opening race had his injuries not healed in time.
Though that was only confirmed a few days ago, shortly after, Aston had refused to rule out that a shock return for retiree Sebastian Vettel was actively being considered. That would’ve seen the four-time champ line up as teammate to old rival Fernando Alonso. In a car that—in testing at least—looked like it might be quite quick. What a sight that would’ve been…
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“It was frustrating not to be out in Bahrain for the pre-season test and I was disappointed to miss the three days of running,” said Stroll. “However, given the injury to my wrist, the team and I felt it was best to focus on recovery so that I would be ready for this weekend and the long season ahead.
“It was an unfortunate accident—I fell from my bike when my tire caught a hole in the ground—but thankfully, the damage was not significant and a successful minor surgery on my right wrist fixed the problem very quickly. Since then, I’ve been working hard with my team to ensure that I am fully fit to compete this weekend.
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“I would like to thank the F1 community for their support and privacy, as well as the team who have helped my recovery. Now I’m ready to get my head down and concentrate on racing this weekend—something I’m really looking forward to.”
Us, too, Lance. Us, too.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
