Drugovich affirms F1 as priority amidst possible Canada chance

Only a few hours after qualifying for the Spanish GP, Aston Martin announced that Lance Stroll would not race on Sunday.

Aston explained that Stroll had been experiencing pain for several weeks in his wrist – the same area where he had an operation after an incident in early 2023.

At the time, there were doubts that Stroll would recover in time for the season opener in Bahrain.

The Canadian ultimately defied expectations and pushed through, finishing 6th in an impressive display at Sakhir.

A little more than two years later, however, this injury appears to be causing the three-time podium finisher some problems.

Stroll will have a procedure to try and resolve the issue, but it is unclear how long his recovery will take.

With the 26-year-old’s injury status in doubt, attention is shifting to Felipe Drugovich – Aston Martin’s reserve driver.

Felipe Drugovich ready for possible Aston Martin opportunity

Since winning the Formula 2 Championship in 2022, Drugovich has worked hard to get into Formula 1.

The Brazilian has turned down opportunities in other categories to prioritise his reserve driver duties with Aston Martin – which he has fulfilled for three seasons.

Aside from Stroll’s injury in the build-up to the 2023 season, there have been no real opportunities for Drugovich in F1 – outside of a few Free Practice sessions.

This does not mean the 25-year-old abandoned on his F1 dreams.

In recent weeks, Drugovich is understood to have held contract talks with Cadillac ahead of their 2026 entry.

Like many drivers, the Brazilian sees the US project as a golden chance to get a full-time seat.

Regardless of the current status of his Cadillac discussions, a mid-season appearance with Aston Martin could massively influence his value in the market.

Of course, at this stage, there is no certainty on whether Lance Stroll will race in Canada or not.

What does seem obvious though, is Drugovich’s willingness to miss his scheduled 24hrs of Le Mans appearance to make his F1 debut:

“In this moment, even I don’t really know how things will go,” es.motorsport quotes him as saying.

“First of all, we have to with Lance a swift recovery.

“In terms of Le Mans [which clashes with the Canadian GP] my priority has always been F1.

“So until then [an update on Stroll’s recovery], we need to maintain that commitment.”

Aston Martin assess the situation

Only a medical expert, and one working directly with Aston Martin and Lance Stroll, can make any forecasts on the Canadian’s recovery time.

Round 10 in Canada is less than two weeks away, meaning Stroll has a very small window to regain full fitness.

His progress will become clearer over the coming days.

Should a mid-season replacement be necessary, Drugovich would be the obvious choice to fill-in – though he would be far from the team’s only option.

Mike Krack, former Aston team principal and current head of trackside engineering, has discussed the situation:

“I am not a doctor, so it’s a bit difficult to make predictions or say anything…

“I know there will be more tests and controls, we will know more and we will figure it out.

“Plan A is to have Lance in the car, and we are working on that. On the other hand, we might also need to have a plan B.

“Of course, we always thought Le Mans would be at the same time as the race weekend [in Canada].

“So we also have other solutions we are evaluating.

“If we need a driver who should run in Le Mans, we will bring them with us. But that is not the problem right now.

“We are waiting to see what happens in the next few days, and then we will make a decision.”