Stroll withdraws from Spanish GP due to pre-existing injury

Lance Stroll has withdrawn from the Spanish Grand Prix after Aston Martin confirmed the Canadian has been suffering from “pain in his hand and wrist” linked to injuries sustained in his 2023 pre-season cycling crash.

The Aston Martin driver sustained multiple fractures and a broken toe after his cycling trip turned wayward in 2023, leading to emergency surgery and an expedited rehabilitation program to successfully ready Stroll for the first race of the season in Bahrain — although, at the time, doubts remained on whether he would be fit and healthy enough to compete.

Despite adopting a more cautious approach to his training regime, those worries rang true this weekend when Aston Martin released a statement announcing that Stroll is set to undergo a medical procedure to resolve the ongoing issue.

“Over the course of the past six weeks Lance has been experiencing pain in his hand and wrist, which his medical consultant believes is in relation to the procedure he underwent in 2023,” the statement read.

“As a result, his medical team have confirmed that he will not race tomorrow and he will undergo a procedure to rectify these issues before focusing on his recovery.”

The #18 completed all three practice sessions and Qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix before the decision was set in stone, with Stroll even earning himself a P14 start alongside Liam Lawson for tonight’s race before announcing his withdrawal from the event. 

Aston Martin is unable to employ a replacement for the Canadian driver, with Article 32.2 a) of the sporting regulations outlining that a driver can only be replaced “any time before the start of the qualifying session”. 

As a result, a driver cannot be promoted to an F1 race seat without taking part in a session that precedes the Grand Prix first — with this applicable in Stroll’s case scenario.

Depending on the Canadian’s unknown timeline for a return to the cockpit, we will likely see Aston Martin’s Reserve Driver Felipe Drugovich make his F1 debut at the Canadian Grand Prix in mid-June. 

Having been a benchwarmer for longer than he would have liked, Drugovich clinched the Formula 2 title with MP Motorsport in 2022, securing five wins and 11 podiums before he was subsequently signed by Aston Martin as the inaugural member of its Driver Development Programme.

In terms of Formula 1 experience, the Brazilian most recently took part in FP1 at the Bahrain Grand Prix and has since been fulfilling his duties for the team both trackside and at the team’s home base in Silverstone.

Additionally, Drugovich participated in multiple free practice sessions prior to this season, and most notably stepped in for Stroll during his medical absence from pre-season testing in 2023.

However, this weekend, Aston Martin has confirmed that it was run just one car in tonight’s 66-lap race, with Fernando Alonso taking the sole spotlight for his home race in Barcelona. 

The veteran is yet to score a point in 2025, with Stroll having contributed 100% of Aston Martin’s 14 points thus far, earning himself 11th in the Drivers’ Standings.

Alonso will hope to break his uncharacteristic points drought as he is set to launch from 10th on the grid, with the midfield competitors of Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly ahead of him. 

Lights out for the Spanish Grand Prix will take place at 23:00 AEST.

Image: Aston Martin F1 Team

2025 Spanish Grand Prix Schedule:

Friday, May 30:

FP1: 21:30 – 22:30

Saturday, May 31:

FP2: 01:00 – 02:00

FP3: 20:30 – 21:30

Sunday, June 01:

Quali: 00:00 – 01:00

Race: 23:00

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