The Aston Martin team has confirmed that not Sebastian Vettel, but reigning Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich will replace Lance Stroll should Stroll be unable to compete in the Bahrain Grand Prix. The team also says they want to offer Stroll every chance to race, subject to his recovery from injury. Just yesterday, Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack helped spread rumors of a temporary return of Vettel after he did not want to rule out a return of the German.
Lance Stroll was injured in a cycling accident while training in the south of Spain. Several media reports that Stroll has had to undergo surgery on his right arm, which means that participation in the Bahrain Grand Prix seems highly uncertain. The Aston Martin team has not yet confirmed anything about Stroll’s injury, but it is expected that they will give a definite answer about participation in the Bahrain Grand Prix in the coming days. Should there be a more serious injury, the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia and Australia may also be in danger.
So Felipe Drugovich now knows that he will make his debut in Formula 1 if Lance Stroll is unable to compete in the Bahrain Grand Prix. Drugovich could thus become the first Brazilian Formula 1 driver since Felipe Massa. The 22-year-old Drugovich won the Formula 2 title last season in the service of the Dutch MP Motorsport, after which he was appointed test and reserve driver for Aston Martin. He already took part in the test days last week as a replacement for Lance Stroll. If Drugovich does indeed take action, it will be the fourth time in four seasons that Aston Martin has had to replace one of its regular drivers, after Sergio Pérez and later Lance Stroll were affected by the corona virus in 2020, and Sebastian Vettel suffered the same fate in 2020. 2022. In all cases, Nico Hülkenberg was the replacement.
Rumors about Vettel
Although Drugovich is Aston Martin’s official test and reserve driver, rumors of a temporary return of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel started yesterday after Mike Krack said he had had telephone contact with the German. In addition, he refused to rule out Vettel replacing Stroll. Vettel said goodbye to Formula 1 in November, but previously indicated that he was open to a one-off return during the Japanese Grand Prix. However, it is highly questionable whether Vettel is still physically in the same condition as a few months ago. In addition to Sebastian Vettel, there were possibly other options for Aston Martin. Just like Drugovich, Stoffel Vandoorne is an official test driver for Aston Martin, but has obligations in Formula E. Mick Schumacher is present in Bahrain and could also have been an option as a Mercedes reserve driver, but Aston Martin therefore shows its confidence in Drugovich .
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