Lance Stroll, Aston Martin, Bahrain International Circuit, 2023

Stroll racing with screws in wrist after cycling crash

2023 Bahrain Grand Prix

Posted on

| Written by and

Lance Stroll will compete in this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix with screws in the wrist he injured in a cycling crash two weeks ago.

Aston Martin confirmed today their driver will return to the car for this weekend’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix having missed last week’s three-day test due to his injury.

Stroll had surgery on his right wrist, which sustained the greatest damage when he came off his bike. He said his left wrist was also “banged up” in the crash.

He told media in Bahrain the cast was removed one week ago but still has screws in place to help it heal and it hasn’t yet been decided when they will be taken out. “The doctors said we’ll reassess,” Stroll explained. “They could come out, they could stay in, depends on how [I’m] feeling down the line.”

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin, Bahrain International Circuit, 2023
Stroll has screws in his injured wrist
Aston Martin had put reserve driver Felipe Drugovich on standby to take over Stroll’s car if needed. Speaking in the Bahrain paddock Stroll said it had taken “a big push in the last 12 days since my accident to get me here.”

“It was a day-by-day thing,” he explained. “With these injuries it’s always hard to tell. There is not a really quick answer how long it will take.”

He admitted he was unsure at first whether he would be able to return. “The first few days were rough. It looked like it was going to be tough.

“But then the last four or five days, it’s really like been improving a lot every day. And I’ve still got 20 hours or something so every hour and minute helps.”

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Stroll has done several sessions in the team’s simulator to ensure his wrists are up to the demands of driving. “I was feeling good in the sim yesterday,” he said. “Full lock and all the range of motion feels good.”

“We turned up the steering strength and I felt good winding on the lock and going over bumps and all those things,” he added. “It hurts a bit, but it feels good, it feels solid and nothing that I haven’t had before.”

He said he felt “jealous” watching team mate Fernando Alonso test Aston Martin’s new car last week. “It’s never ideal missing days in a Formula 1 car,” said Stroll. “We don’t get many days outside the race weekends.

“So not ideal but I can’t focus on that now, it’s done. I’m just going to focus on getting into the best rhythm I can, straight into FP1 and go from there.”

He insisted he hasn’t put his safety at risk by rushing to return to the cockpit. “I just want to have every chance to go racing,” he said. “If I feel like I’m fit enough to race with a bit of discomfort, I’m going to do it.

“Professional athletes in every sport sometimes are in a bit of discomfort. If I felt like it was not smart, if I felt like it was a risk of injuring myself more, if I felt like my bones just weren’t ready, I wouldn’t do it.

“I think Formula 1 is a long season, there’s 23 races, it’s not all about being in Bahrain. But I do feel confident, the doctors feel confident and here I am.”

Bringing the F1 news from the source

RaceFans strives to bring its readers news directly from the key players in Formula 1. We are able to do this thanks in part to the generous backing of our RaceFans Supporters.

By contributing £1 per month or £12 per year (or the equivalent in other currencies) you can help cover the costs involved in producing original journalism: Travelling, writing, creating, hosting, contacting and developing.

We have been proudly supported by our readers for over 10 years. If you enjoy our independent coverage, please consider becoming a RaceFans Supporter today. As a bonus, all our Supporters can also browse the site ad-free. Sign up or find out more via the links below:

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

2023 Bahrain Grand Prix

Browse all 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix articles

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...
Claire Cottingham
Claire has worked in motorsport for much of her career, covering a broad mix of championships including Formula One, Formula E, the BTCC, British...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

23 comments on “Stroll racing with screws in wrist after cycling crash”

  1. I’m sure neither a team nor a driver would take risks with health if they had any doubts about participation so soon after an injury, so in this regard, he’s fully spot-on.

  2. Why take a chance on a one-armed Stroll. I would have gone with Drugovich

    1. A one armed Drugovich might be better than a fully fit Stroll to begin with.

  3. Seems like a poor choice… but you do you Lance Armstrong!

  4. Sergey Martyn
    2nd March 2023, 19:09

    Oh, Robostroll? Do FIA allow it?

  5. I admit I’m dissappointed that we won’t get to see Drugovich do a race. It was a very legitimate chance to impress. It’s hard to be too impressed with testing, but Felipe seems to have done a great job testing. He’s clearly going to be in better condition to take the car on the first race.

    But I get why Lance is so keen to return. Reminds me a bit of Hamilton rushing his return after Russell impressed in Sakhir in 2020.

    Good for Lance if he is properly fit. But it’s really hard to imagine a bone healing so fast, especially with screws in there, and then be able to endure the high G-forces of a fast circuit like Sakhir.

  6. Lewisham Milton
    2nd March 2023, 19:22

    I’ve thought of a use for Billy Monger on Channel 4. I’d like to see Lance explaining to him how tough and painful it all is.

  7. It’s going to be complete misery. The guy already can’t drive with healthy wrists. How is this ever going to work out? Will probably have to hear his whining ass all weekend about it. They should had put Drugovich in the car and saved us and Stroll from all that.

  8. He’ll get well in 30 days, like almost all of the small fractures. That would be sensible, wouldn’t it?

    All Stroll Jr can get by rushing his comeback is a good excuse for being eaten alive by Alonso.

    Any other team would tell Drugovich to bring his seat.

    1. Hairline fractures don’t require screws to be put in. This sounds like a proper fracture, and honestly, its far too soon for him to be getting in to the cockpit. I guess he’s not ready to lose ground to Alonso, but he’s just going to be way off the pace as usual, and I doubt he’ll be able to come close to the points this weekend.

      1. Hey may be way off the pace, but he’ll have an excuse. That’s the important part.

  9. There are only a few drivers in this sport who don’t have to worry about losing their seat if they miss a race or two and their replacement outshines them. Stroll is one of them and it seems like this might not be worth the risk. Might he miss the next race because of the toll this one takes on his wrist?

  10. Stroll has no reason to rush this. He’s guaranteed the seat, and is having the time of his life being in F1 alongside the likes of Vettel and Alonso. He has no pressure, so if he and the team think he can race then there’s little reason to doubt it.

  11. Crash might end his career. Strange decision.

  12. Drugovich may get his chance….a simulator and they are good will not reproduce through the steering all the sensations he will get in reality of a busy practice, and taking painkillers could mask the damage that could be done to the injury…

  13. I think his motivation to race is sincere, but coming back now with a perfectly good excuse to be trashed by Alonso may actually save face for Stroll. Drugovich would have done well enough to embarass Stroll upon his eventual return in the next race.

  14. Stroll will outscore Alonso on Sunday. You read it here.

    1. And Zhou will take his first win.

  15. I have an opinion
    3rd March 2023, 4:26

    Hope he is getting good advice, and hope he is heeding it. Things turned out badly for Marc Marquez because he returned to racing too soon.

  16. I bet FIA will investigate this as there is a very strict policy on jewelry etc.. ;)

    1. I was looking for this comment. I’ll leave satisfied

  17. I wonder if the FIA Race Doctor will have anything to say about this ? Surely there are ways for a Doctor to veto this decision if they “believe he might be a danger to other Drivers”.

Comments are closed.