Drugovich to test for Aston Martin in place of injured Stroll

16 comments on “Drugovich to test for Aston Martin in place of injured Stroll”

1. 

   Jere (@jerejj)
   21st February 2023, 15:22

   So no all-in for Alonso as I initially expected, so I guess giving Drugovich some track time in the test is about the possibility of Stroll not recovering in time for the opening GP.
   1. 

      BasCB (@bascb)
      22nd February 2023, 14:35

      Also, the first day means it could just be shakedown, a few installation laps, wait, another few installation laps etc @jerejj, so I guess the first day is the least interesting for Alonso to drive.
      1. 

         NS Biker (@rekibsn)
         22nd February 2023, 20:42

         It would appear that all the teams have used their “100km Filming Day” allowances to do the Installation Process.
         With luck, they should hit the ground running and get right into testing and set-up.
2. 

   Chints
   21st February 2023, 17:40

   Isn’t it a bit risky to give him the first session… in case he has a bad crash and damages the chasis?

   In such cases how much can the team repair/replace the parts… usually do they carry enough parts to build a 2nd car overnight?
   1. 

      Le Jimster (@lejimster82)
      21st February 2023, 23:43

      He’s got the entire pre-season test and if he’s smart he won’t push to the limit on his first day. Also its Bahrain, lots of run off.. He would be unlucky to have a bad crash early on. (I hope I haven’t jinxed him). But his main issue is his fitness, a lot of F1 rookies underestimate how much training is necessary on the neck to drive a F1 car.

      Luckily he has had some running in an F1 car last November at the post season test, so it won’t be totally new to him.
   2. 

      pastaman
      22nd February 2023, 0:35

      The very first session is usually the one with the most car problems, there’s a good chance he won’t even get to drive the full session while they figure out what’s wrong. Then the car will be ready for ALO
3. 

   Hiland (@flyingferrarim)
   21st February 2023, 19:50

   @jerejj
   The reality is that the team will have a much higher chance at accumulating more laps with two cars than just one. Just look at McLaren last pre-season. These teams only have three days to work through any bugs/issues and they need a high lap count before the green flag drop next weekend. Last year, teams had the luxury of a couple days in Spain to shake down the cars before the official pre-season test in Bahrain. Teams only have these three days so they can’t afford much down time. both cars need to be lapping as much as possible.
   1. 

      Jere (@jerejj)
      21st February 2023, 20:55

      @flyingferrarim True
   2. 

      Luciano
      22nd February 2023, 1:06

      In pre season, it is allowed only one car on track per team.
   3. 

      someone or something
      22nd February 2023, 10:26

      Both cars? The teams can only run a single car each.
      If they were allowed a second car, then, of course, replacing Stroll with a reserve driver would be as much as a no-brainer as it gets. However, in this case, the question was whether Alonso should take over Stroll’s driving duties as well and make the most of the very limited testing time, or whether a reserve driver should step in, despite having only a small chance of participating in more than a handful of races at best.
      Considering that, it comes as a bit of a surprise that Aston Martin have decided against fully relying on Alonso, so there must’ve been financial considerations in play, or they want Drugovich to be prepared in case he needs to replace Stroll in the opening race as well.
4. 

   Electroball76
   21st February 2023, 19:58

   5 months later: “I’m sorry son, I know you want your car back, but you gotta be patient a while longer. Doctors orders I’m afraid”
   1. 

      Coventry Climax
      21st February 2023, 23:00

      Sort of my initial thought; Maybe “injure” him some more, in the coming months?
5. 

   mmertens (@mmertens)
   21st February 2023, 23:32

   Great opportunity for Drugovich, he deserves it. Being so long with no team affiliation was hurting his chances, but know he has a great opportunity to rack mileage, share the duties with Alonso, and learn the most he can with this golden opportunity. Even if first day is normally correlation / shakedowns etc, it’s incredible opportunity for him!
6. 

   Mr Squiggle
   22nd February 2023, 7:44

   I’d be asking Lance for a full body scan. Bike crashes can do lots of things.

   If I remember correctly Mark Webber in 2010 broke his shoulder blade and kept it quiet from the team.
   1. 

      MacLeod (@macleod)
      22nd February 2023, 8:05

      Adrian Newey had also a tumbling with serious head injury… highspeed bike accidents are dangerous and hearing this Lance didn’t had a ‘schuiver’ (slide) on asfalt but a more damaging fall then. Probaly bruised but that will take weeks not a few days the Lance miss the first 2 races at least.
      Mark Webber had more dangerous things running if you see his pictures starving yourself isn’t healthy and that is why the weight of drivers was raised.
      1. 

         NS Biker (@rekibsn)
         22nd February 2023, 20:37

         Reports out that Lance was seen leaving the hospital with a cast on his right arm.
         Having performed this ritual myself, and don’t ask how often, it would sound like a low speed fall and the classic stick your arm out as you land routine. Embarrassing to say the least. A classic for those learning to do a Track-Stand.
         Being young and healthy he should heal enough to get back in the car in 4 weeks or less.
         If Kubica can drive an F1 car essentially one-handed, then Lance should be back and fit by the third race.

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