Aston Martin: Felipe Drugovich to replace injured Lance Stroll in pre-season
Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich will drive on the first day of this week’s pre-season test in place of injured race driver Lance Stroll.
The Brazilian Formula 2 champion will steer the car on Thursday morning in Bahrain before handing over to Fernando Alonso for the afternoon session.
Aston Martin have not revealed their schedule for the remaining two days.
Stroll will miss the test as a result of what was described by the team as a “minor” cycling accident.
There is a risk that the Canadian may not be able to race in the subsequent Bahrain Grand Prix, which starts the 2023 season on 3-5 March.
Aston Martin have two reserve drivers to choose from. Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne – the reigning Formula E champion, who was Alonso’s team-mate at McLaren in F1 in 2017-18 – is the other.
Alonso, who joins Aston Martin from Alpine this season, said at the team’s launch last week that the usual limit of one-and-a-half days of testing for each driver would likely mean he was not fully up to speed for the start of the season. – bbc.com