Drugovich ready to ditch Le Mans for F1 debut as Stroll stand-in at Aston Martin

Felipe Drugovich has indicated his “priority has always been Formula 1” so would be willing to miss his Le Mans 24 Hours entry with Cadillac to fill in for the injured Lance Stroll at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Stroll withdrew from the Spanish GP after qualifying due to pain in his right hand and wrist that he broke in 2023 in a cycling accident during pre-season training.

Due to F1 rules, Aston Martin could not field a replacement driver given Stroll pulled out after qualifying 14th on the grid for the Barcelona race.

It meant Drugovich, who was at the grand prix as Aston Martin’s reserve driver, was unable to fulfil his duties and the team was left to race with only Fernando Alonso, who went on to finish in ninth following Max Verstappen’s late-race penalty.

With Stroll’s recovery period from a procedure to fix the issue unknown, he faces a race against time to be fit for his home round in Canada on 13-15 June.

Drugovich was due to be absent from the Montreal round as he is set to race for the Cadillac Whelen squad at the Le Mans 24 Hours on the same weekend alongside Jack Aitken and Frederik Vesti in the #311 Hypercar entry.

While it is not known whether Aston Martin’s deal with Drugovich will enable it to get priority of the Brazilian driver over his sportscar racing exploits, it appears the 2022 Formula 2 champion would be willing to miss Le Mans in order to drive for the F1 team in Canada.

In conversation with reporter Thiago Fagnani from Band, he said: “At the moment, I don’t even know exactly how things will happen from now on.

“First of all, we have to wish Lance the best. For Le Mans, in that regard, my priority has always been Formula 1, so that’s what must be maintained until then.”

Aston Martin’s other reserve driver, Stoffel Vandoorne, also faces a commitment clash with Le Mans as he competes as part of the #94 Peugeot squad in the Hypercar class.

The British F1 squad also has Jak Crawford in its ranks as a development driver, but it isn’t believed he holds an FIA superlicence permitting him to take part in F1 yet.

Another option could be asking engine partner Mercedes for the services of its reserve driver Valtteri Bottas, who will not have commitment clashes for the Canadian GP.