Lance Stroll Withdraws from the Spanish Grand Prix: Intrigue and Rumors in the Paddock
Lance Stroll’s surprising absence from the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix generated an atmosphere of uncertainty in the paddock on Sunday. Speculation about his sudden withdrawal continued to circulate.
On Saturday, Aston Martin announced that Stroll would not compete due to the need to undergo surgery to treat pain in his hand and wrist. According to the statement, this discomfort was related to an injury sustained to his wrist during the 2023 preseason, when he fell off his bicycle.
The team added that Stroll had experienced some level of pain during the last six weeks, a period that included races in Miami, Imola, Monaco and the practice and qualifying sessions in Barcelona.
Stroll’s drop occurred after being eliminated in Q2, half a second behind his teammate, Fernando Alonso.
Due to the rules, as Stroll participated in qualifying, he could not be replaced by another driver. Felipe Drugovich, Aston Martin’s reserve driver, was present in the paddock.
The sudden appearance of the injury of Stroll, son of team owner Lawrence, aroused curiosity in the paddock.
Members of other teams expressed skepticism about Aston Martin’s official version of Stroll’s departure.
Sources suggested a chaotic scene following Stroll’s elimination from qualifying, with reports of an apparent tantrum in the Aston Martin garage.
Lance was upset
Aston Martin Spokesperson
Internal sources at Aston Martin indicated that many within the team were unaware of the extent of Stroll’s pain management for six weeks until reading the announcement of his absence on Saturday night.
Stroll didn’t mention pain management in any of his media sessions and there was no mention of it by radio to Aston Martin during qualifying.
Aston Martin’s boss, Mike Krack, responded to a growing rumor in the paddock that Stroll injured his hand during a tantrum after qualifying.
I was in the pit wall. I haven’t heard anything like that. This is typical paddock gossip.
Mike Krack
Krack explained that the drivers often compete despite the pain and that it is common for them to minimize their discomfort in order to compete. He added that in recent weeks there were occasional mentions of the pain, but that during the weekend the situation worsened.
Stroll’s next steps are uncertain, as he needs to undergo a procedure to address the issues in his hand and wrist.
The next Formula 1 race is the Canadian Grand Prix, Stroll’s home race, on June 15th.
Plan A is to have Lance in the car.
Mike Krack
Aston Martin has several options if they need a replacement. Brazilian media reported that Drugovich would be willing to give up his commitment at the 24 Hours of Le Mans to debut in Formula 1 instead of Stroll.
As a Mercedes customer, Aston Martin would theoretically have access to Valtteri Bottas, who is a reserve driver at his former team.
