(Motorsport news) Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll will be forced to miss this week’s pre-season testing after having an accident while riding his bike. Aston Martin confirmed the Canadian suffered a “minor accident and sustained injuries which will result in him sitting out the pre-season test in Bahrain”. The 24-year-old who is the son of the team’s owner Lawrence Stroll will be expected to be fit for the season-opener in Bahrain on March 5.
Aston Martin didn’t specify any given details about the accident but Stroll was expected to make a quick recovery as they will issue an update ahead of the opening race of the season. The news meant that new driver and former World Champion Fernando Alonso, who made a dramatic switch from Alpine last year, is now set to have all three testing days to himself and become familiar with the new machinery. While this season won’t see the sweeping F1 regulation changes, each team will still be looking to make small tweaks to their car to find lap time.
Pre-season testing gives the fans a first chance to see who has pace relative to their rivals and who needs to go back to the drawing board before the season starts. While Alonso is new to the team, Stroll is going to race now into his fifth season with Aston Martin as they were previously called Racing Point until 2021. Along with his initial years at Williams in 2017 and 2018, this is going to be the Canadian’s seventh consecutive season in F1. Aston Martin’s new reserve driver and defending F2 Champions Felipe Drugovich will not be able to take part in the pre-season testing since it can only be attended by the two team drivers only
The Brazilian has a chance to race in the first of the season if Stroll doesn’t recover from his injury. Stroll has developed a reputation for crashing but has managed to pick up three podium finishes in his career. After going up against four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel last season, the son of Lawrence Stroll will now need to show the same resolve against two-time F1 champion Alonso when the season kicks off next month.
“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.”
“In Lance, the team has a driver who is super young, super talented and has the possibility to be World Champion,” Alonso said recently. “To see him achieve that and have played a part in that, whether that’s behind the wheel or not, will be special for me.
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