With pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit coming towards its climax, it has been speculated amongst the paddock that Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll will not be fit for next weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, following his “minor accident”.
It was announced ahead of pre-season testing that Stroll had been involved in a cycling accident in Spain, with the Canadian having damaged his wrists.
Several reports have stated different injuries, with some having reported that the driver has broken both of his wrists.
The driver is certainly doing everything he can in a bid to be ready for next weekend, with Splash and GO – F1 having revealed that: “Lance Stroll was with the Spanish traumatologist Xavier Mir, responsible for assisting several MotoGp competitors with their multiple and serious injuries to their arms and wrists.
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“The conversation is that he will go to the simulator this weekend to understand his conditions.”
According to several members of the paddock, Stroll will not be fit in time for next weekend, with Albert Fabrega having shared the news.
“Multiple rumours in the paddock say that Stroll wouldn’t be fit for race the Bahrain GP,” he wrote on social media.
Aston Martin are set to leave any announcement until the last possible moment, in order to give Stroll every possible chance to return.
Should he be ruled out, then reserve driver and reigning Formula 2 World Champion Felipe Drugovich is the favourite to replace him, given that Aston Martin have used him during testing alongside Fernando Alonso.
Ex-F1 driver Stoffel Vandoorne is another candidate to replace Stroll should he be unavailable, given that the Belgian is another reserve driver for the team.
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Drugovich is perhaps more likely to replace Stroll than Vandoorne, though, with the reigning Formula E World Champion having missed pre-season testing due to racing in Cape Town for the fifth round of the all-electric series.
Interestingly, retired four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel is potentially another contender, with commentator David Croft having revealed that the German “might” have been in contact with his former side to offer his services.
It’s easy to answer who the fans would want to see replace Stroll, with the focus now being on seeing if he can recover in time or not.