Stroll to return from injury at this weekend’s F1 Canadian GP

Aston Martin Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll will return to the wheel of the AMR25 at his home Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal after a successful procedure to treat a hand injury.

After qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix two weeks ago, Stroll withdrew from the event after recurring pain in his right hand significantly worsened and left him to seek medical treatment.

Stroll has undergone a surgery to the wrist he fractured two years ago in a cycling accident, and after testing an older generation F1 car at France’s Paul Ricard circuit, the Canadian has been deemed fit to race this weekend.

“We are pleased to confirm that Lance Stroll will be back with the team competing in Montreal this weekend,” Aston Martin shared on Wednesday.

“He had a successful medical procedure to resolve the symptoms he has been experiencing and completed some laps in an old F1 car at Paul Ricard earlier this week. Lance is feeling fit and healthy, and is excited to compete in front of his home crowd.”

Stroll was quoted as saying: “I am excited to get back behind the wheel with the team for my home grand prix this weekend. I was always going to fight hard to be ready to race in front of the Montreal crowd. I’m feeling good after my procedure and put some laps in at Paul Ricard this week to prepare.”

It is understood Aston Martin had already planned to hold a TPC test with an older car in France, which proved a useful opportunity to check whether or not Stroll was ready to return to competition.

In Spain, the team said Stroll had been suffering from varying degrees of hand pain for six weeks until the discomfort became too much to compete on Sunday in Barcelona, with him treated on Monday.

There were suggestions that his withdrawal from the Spanish Grand Prix was related to him losing his temper after a disappointing qualifying session and missing the weigh-in, but head of trackside engineering Mike Krack dismissed those as “paddock gossip”.

“As it has been known already, the whole thing started in 2023,” Krack said. “Over the last weeks, there was mention of pain but you do not ask the driver every five minutes: ‘Do you have pain or not?’

“I think it was just getting too much. I think at the end of the day, after qualifying, Lance and his team decided it would be better to go and check again. And then the recommendation was [it was] better not to race.

“We have seen it with Lance in 2023, when he fought his way back. Drivers want to drive, they do not want to be out. Very often, I think, they drive with probably more pain than they would even admit to, to be able to drive. Because this is what they love to do.”

Aston Martin’s reserve driver Felipe Drugovich was expected to be on standby to replace Stroll if needed, but the news now means the Brazilian can compete with Cadillac at this weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours as planned.