Aston Martin has confirmed that reserve driver Felipe Drugovich will race for the team in next weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix if Lance Stroll is not sufficiently recovered from his pre-season training accident.
The team insisted that there was still every chance that Stroll would be back in the cockpit, despite suffering hand and wrist injuries in a cycling accident that ruled him out of pre-season testing.
In Stroll's absence, Fernando Alonso had conducted the lion's share of the testing, with Drugovich also completing two stints in the car over the course of the three days.
“The team will continue to give Lance every chance to race, pending recovery from his injury," the team said in a tweet on Sunday morning.
"Should he not be fit to compete, then Felipe will drive the AMR23 alongside Fernando," the team confirmed.
It's understood that Stroll will be at the team's headquarters working on the simulator to see whether his injuries will allow him to take part in the race.
F1TV journalist Will Buxton this week reported that Stroll had consulted pre-eminent hand, wrist and arms specialist Dr Mir about his injuries.
“He’s the man who all the MotoGP riders go to when they have all those horrible injuries and are back on the bike in three days," noted Buxton.
“Although the team need to confirm or deny, Lance has seen him and will be back in the simulator this weekend to see whether or not the wrists have the strength to allow him to come back.”
The team has declined to give details of Stroll's injuries, calling them a 'private' matter for the driver.
There had been rumours that Aston Martin might recall last year's driver Sebastian Vettel back from retirement to fill the empty seat, but the speculation has been downplayed by the team management.
Ironically Vettel himself missed last year's Bahrain GP after testing positive for COVID, and was replaced by Nico Hulkenberg who has now returned to F1 full time with Haas.
Now Aston has made it clear that Drugovich is officially on stand-by to make his F1 debut, after impressive team principal Mike Krack with his stints in the car in testing.
"Felipe did a very good job,” Krack said. "The first day he took it really steadily, and did all the things that we asked from him perfectly.
"[Saturday] as well was faultless. I think if you have watched there was not one wheel lock, there was not an apex missed or something like that. So we're very happy with what he has done.
“We mustn't forget that the whole thing here is also new for him. He'd never driven the car before," he pointed out. “I'm always surprised how he can stay so calm, because he's also Brazilian!
"He did a really good job," Krack added. "He's a very, very reflective and calm person, and his approach is also like that. So it's very, very easy."
Alonso was also happy to endorse Stroll as his potential team mate for next week's race.
"He's a super-talented driver. He adapted very well this week here in Bahrain, we saw today he was immediately on the pace and good long run.
“If he has to race I think he will do a very good job, because he has the talent," he said, adding that a lack of experience shouldn't be a problem for Drugovich as everyone is in the same situation going into the new season.
"Even myself, I feel that I'm lacking laps and kilometres. I cannot imagine for Felipe, how difficult and challenging it is," he noted.
In the longer term, if Stroll is not fully recovered by the second race of the season in Saudi Arabia then the seat is likely to be taken by Stoffel Vandoorne, the test driver Aston shares with McLaren this season.
The Belgian had been unavailable to step in for Bahrain due to his Formula E obligations.
But it could also leave the door open to Vettel making a stunning rapid return to the cockpit for what would be his 300th Grand Prix start, with an Alonso/Vettel line-up doubtless making sponsors Aramco salivate at the prospect.
An official statement about the team's plans for Bahrain will be made by Aston Martin early this week, with free practice set to start on Friday.
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