Despite fears that Lance Stroll might pull out of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Canadian looks set to complete the entirety of the weekend, after performing well in Free Practice 3 on Saturday morning.
Friday afternoon was Stroll’s first time in the AMR23 since crashing whilst cycling in Spain, where he broke his right wrist and sprained his left.
The Canadian was forced out of pre-season testing following his accident, with Stroll having undergone surgery in Barcelona to put pins in his right wrist.
Stroll’s recovered incredibly quickly and passed FIA medical checks ahead of the Bahrain GP; however, he was seen to be struggling with turning his steering wheel at the opening corner.
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The Aston Martin driver then required help to climb out of the car after Free Practice 2, with his hands having been a “little numb”.
After a clip of him being given help to get out of the car surfaced on social media, many wondered if reserve driver Felipe Drugovich would be introduced from FP2 onwards; however, Stroll told reporters Friday evening that “I can drive”.
“My hands were a little numb, but in general everything was fine in the car,” Stroll told reporters.
“I was just protecting my wrist a little bit.”
Stroll has enjoyed a solid weekend so far in Bahrain, with the Canadian having finished FP3 in seventh, just over six-tenths behind his team-mate.
Fernando Alonso has staggeringly topped two sessions already in Bahrain, with the double World Champion having finished P1 in FP2 and FP3, with both his one lap and race pace having looked exceptional.
Alonso’s and Stroll’s pace has confirmed that the Silverstone-based team are a real contender for victory this weekend, with a battle between Alonso and fellow double World Champion Max Verstappen perhaps being on the cards.
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Stroll also told reporters on Friday that the AMR23 is “just incredible”, with the son of team owner Lawrence Stroll believing that himself and Alonso can fight for the front row on the grid.
“The car is just incredible,” he said. “It feels great to drive.
“It would be great to fight for the first row in qualifying, and we will try to do it.”