Lance Stroll will not take part in the Spanish GP due to hand and wrist pain stemming from an old injury dating back to early 2023. The Canadian driver will undergo surgery to address the issue, although recovery times have not yet been disclosed. Aston Martin will race in Spain with only one car.
There will not be twenty drivers on the starting grid for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix. Lance Stroll had to withdraw from the race even before the start due to persistent pain in his hand and wrist, linked to an old injury that continues to trouble him.
On Saturday, Stroll had qualified in fourteenth place, making the most of an improving Aston Martin, but the Canadian driver will not take up his grid spot after experiencing recurring pain in his right hand and wrist.
The team stated that the discomfort is connected to the fracture he sustained in a cycling accident ahead of the 2023 season, which had already forced him to miss pre-season testing. Stroll will now undergo surgery to fix the issue.
“Over the last six weeks, Lance has been experiencing pain in his hand and wrist, which according to his treating physician is related to the operation he had in 2023,” read the statement from the Silverstone-based team, announcing Stroll’s withdrawal from the weekend. “As a result, his medical team has confirmed that he will not race tomorrow and will undergo a procedure to resolve these issues, before focusing on recovery.”
A week before pre-season testing in Bahrain in 2023, Lance Stroll was injured during cycling training in Málaga, sustaining fractures in both wrists and even a broken toe, to the point where he had difficulty walking.
After having screws inserted into his right wrist, Stroll missed testing but made a surprisingly early recovery, managing to race the following week in the season-opening Grand Prix in Bahrain.
It wasn’t a smooth weekend, especially considering he struggled to steer in some corners, even having to grip the steering wheel differently in certain sections of the circuit. Nevertheless, Stroll managed to finish in an excellent sixth place, at a time when Aston Martin was in very strong form.
However, that same injury continues to haunt him and will now force him to miss the Spanish GP, as he undergoes surgery in hopes of resolving the issue once and for all. The team has not provided any details about the surgical procedure or expected recovery time.
Fortunately, after this weekend, F1 will take a one-week break before heading overseas to Montréal for the Canadian Grand Prix, Stroll’s home race. Another weekend off will follow, giving the Aston Martin driver more time to recover.
If he’s unable to return in time, his seat could be filled by one of the reserve drivers, Felipe Drugovich or Stoffel Vandoorne, with the Brazilian already present in Barcelona in a standby role. However, Aston Martin cannot field Drugovich in the Spanish GP, since he has not taken part in any official session this weekend.
Stroll was also under investigation by the stewards for failing to attend mandatory weighing procedures after qualifying. According to technical delegate Jo Bauer, Stroll spent five minutes in the team’s garage before proceeding to the scales, without passing through the pit lane. It wouldn’t be surprising if his absence from the weigh-in was linked to the intense hand pain, considering he had just gotten out of the car at the end of qualifying.
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