Injured Lance Stroll ruled out of F1 testing after accident

Lance Stroll will miss his team’s Formula One pre-season testing after the Aston Martin driver was injured in an accident.

MONZA, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 10: Lance Stroll of Canada and Aston Martin F1 Team walks in the Paddock prior to final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on September 10, 2022 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

F1 driver Lance Stroll will be forced to miss this week’s pre-season testing after having an accident while riding his bicycle.

The Sun reports Aston Martin confirmed the Canadian suffered a “minor accident and sustained injuries which will result in him sitting out the pre-season test in Bahrain”.

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The 24-year-old, the son of the team’s owner Lawrence Stroll, is expected to be fit for the season-opener in Bahrain on March 5.

“I’ve had an unfortunate accident whilst training on my bike in preparation for the season,” Stroll said.

“I am determined to get back in the car and I am excited about the season ahead with the team. I am motivated to bounce back from this setback as quickly as possible.”

Aston Martin didn’t give any details about the accident but said Stroll was expected to make a quick recovery and they will issue an update ahead of the opening race of the season.

Lance Stroll will miss Aston Martin’s pre-season testing.

The news means new driver Fernando Alonso, who made a dramatic switch from Alpine last year, is now set to have all three testing days to himself to become acquainted with the new machinery.

While this season won’t see the sweeping F1 regulation changes of last year, each team will still be looking to make tweaks to their car to find lap time.

Pre-season testing gives fans the first chance to see who has gained some pace relative to their rivals and who needs to go back to the drawing board.

While Alonso is new to the team, Stroll is now into his fifth season with Aston Martin, who were previously called Racing Point until 2021.

Along with his initial years at Williams in 2017 and 2018, this is now the Canadian’s seventh consecutive season in F1.

Stroll has developed a reputation for crashing but has managed to pick up three podium finishes throughout his career.

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll at F1’s season launch. (Photo by ASTON MARTIN / AFP)

After going up against four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel last season, Stroll will now need to show the same resolve against two-time F1 champion Alonso when the season kicks off next month.

“In Lance, the team has a driver who is super young, super talented and has the possibility to be World Champion,” Alonso said recently.

“To see him achieve that and have played a part in that, whether that’s behind the wheel or not, will be special for me.

Ralf Schumacher, a former F1 driver and the brother of Michael Schumacher, scoffed at suggestions Stroll has what it takes to be world champion.

Responding to Alonso’s comments on Instagram, the six-time F1 race winner wrote: “Sure! And Formula 1 cars can fly. Or is it already the first of April?”

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.