26/02/2023
NEWS STORY
Aston Martin has this morning confirmed that Felipe Drugovich will replace Lance Stroll at the season opener next weekend if the Canadian isn't fully recovered.
Amidst speculation that the Silverstone-based outfit could call on the services of its former driver, Sebastian Vettel, the team issued the following statement this morning.
"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."
With the team refusing to give detailed information on the extent of Stroll's injury, leading to some sections of the media claiming he has broken both his wrists, at least we now know who will replace him.
While the F2 champion gave a good account of himself in testing, the uncertainty over the plans for next weekend led to Alonso being given the most time in the car.
Nonetheless, the youngster completed 117 laps without putting a wheel wrong, and greatly impressed the team.
"I think we have made good progress across the three days of running," he said on Saturday, after posting the 10th best time of the day, 0.625s off Alonso's pace, albeit on slightly softer tyres.
"I am pleased with the set-up changes that have been made since my first day," he added, "the team have done a really good job implementing the feedback Fernando and I have given.
"It has been a valuable experience to compare my own observations with those of a two-time world champion. In general, our comments are similar and I think we have worked well together to help the team maximise our three days of pre-season testing.
"The car feels like a step forward from last year, but we need to remember that all teams will have developed over the winter and so we will continue working hard to maintain this momentum. We are feeling positive, although we will not have a true indication of our relative pace until qualifying next Saturday."