Brazilian driver Felipe Drugovich will replace the injured Lance Stroll if the Canadian fails to recover in time for Formula 1’s 2023 season opener in Bahrain, Aston Martin announced.
Stroll injured himself in a bicycle accident in Spain, and Aston Martin has been reliably non-committal on whether what has been described as a wrist injury will heal enough to give him a good chance of contesting the season opener.
“The team will continue to give Lance every chance to race, pending recovery from his injury. Should he not be fit to compete, then Felipe will drive the AMR23 alongside Fernando [Alonso],” Aston Martin said.
If Drugovich does get the nod, he’ll make his Formula 1 debut and will become the first Brazilian to start an F1 race since Pietro Fittipaldi stood in for the injured Romain Grosjean at Haas at the end of 2020.
NEWS | 🇧🇷 Aston Martin confirms that they will run Felipe Drugovich at the Bahrain Grand Prix if Lance Stroll is still unable to race!
The 22-year-old is the 2022 Formula 2 Champion.#F1 #F2 pic.twitter.com/rHbO79tXDu
— Feeder Series (@feeder_series) February 26, 2023