The candidates to replace Lance Stroll if he can't race in Canadian GP

Lance Stroll could miss the Canadian Grand Prix, his team has accepted, following his unusual withdrawal from the Spanish Grand Prix after being knocked out of qualifying at the Q2 stage.

Aston Martin said that Stroll was checked over immediately after the session after complaining of wrist pain, linked to his previous cycling injuries.

He has since undergone surgery on his hand, performed by Dr Xavier Mir, who is the same specialist who treated him in 2023.

However, the sudden departure from the race weekend has led some to suspect that there’s more to the story than meets the eye: Stroll was said to be upset at the result and bypassed the mandatory post-qualifying weigh-in, so he wouldn’t have been able to race even if he had been cleared in the medical check.

The timeline for Stroll’s recovery is very tight and would require him to be back behind the wheel less than two weeks after surgery, although the Canadian is no stranger to quick recoveries, having competed in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix in 2023 after breaking both wrists and a toe in a cycling accident.

While Stroll’s return date is uncertain, the Silverstone-based squad has stated that its “Plan A” is for Stroll to race in Montreal.

“It is quite simple, the ‘Plan A’ is to have Lance in the car – that is the ‘Plan A’, and that is what we are working to,” Aston Martin’s chief trackside officer Mike Krack said on the official F1 website.

“If the ‘Plan A’ does not work, then we need to pull ‘Plan B’.”

So who are the drivers that could take Stroll’s seat?

Felipe Drugovich

Krack has acknowledged the need for a backup plan should Stroll not recover in time, and Drugovich, the team’s reserve driver, is on standby. He is, in theory, favourite for the job.

The 2022 Formula 2 champion is familiar with the team’s car, having participated in multiple FP1 sessions, including in this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

Drugovich is facing the issue of having committed to racing in the Le Mans 24 Hours with Cadillac, as the endurance event clashes with the Canadian Grand Prix.

However, Drugovich has indicated he would prioritise Formula 1 over his Le Mans commitment if called upon to replace Stroll.

Both the Brazilian and Aston Martin will need to make a quick decision in order for Cadillac to find a replacement.

“Obviously we always knew that Le Mans was going to happen, so we also had plans in place that if we need a driver that is doing Le Mans, we will bring him, but at the moment this is not the only question,” Krack said.

“We wait for what the next days are bringing, and then we take a decision.”

Stoffel Vandoorne

Vandoorne is another reserve driver at Aston Martin but is also scheduled to race at Le Mans with Peugeot, bringing extra contractual complications to the situation.

The Belgian has plenty of Formula 1 experience, having raced in the series with McLaren, but he hasn’t driven an F1 car since the 2018 season, having switched his effort to Formula E and the World Endurance Championship.

It would be highly unlikely for Aston Martin to pick him over Drugovich.

Valtteri Bottas

Another reserve driver, Bottas is also an outside option to replace Stroll, although Aston would need to sort a deal in order to race with the team.

Bottas is officially Mercedes‘ reserve, but could also be used by McLaren, Williams and Aston Martin since they are all powered by the German manufacturer’s engines.

In fact, Bottas tested a 2023 McLaren earlier this year at Barcelona as part of the TPC.

The Finn last raced in F1 last year before losing his seat at Sauber but remains race-ready and travels to all races with Mercedes.

Jak Crawford is also part of Aston Martin’s roster of reserve drivers, but the American doesn’t have an F1 superlicence and therefore could not race in Canada.