Aston Martin has had an uptick in form as the European leg of the season began. The team got both cars into the final part of qualifying in Imola, while in Monaco, Fernando Alonso reached Q3 again. In Spain, Alonso made it into Q3 for a third successive race; however, his teammate, Lance Stroll, couldn’t. The Canadian put his AMR25 in P14.
However, after qualifying, it emerged that Stroll had been feeling pain in his wrist and would have to sit the race out. Aston Martin would only be able to run one car in the Spanish GP, but why?
Why can’t Aston Martin replace Lance Stroll?
Lance Stroll injured his wrist before the beginning of the 2023 season and underwent a procedure to rectify his problem. He has been experiencing pain for over a month, and the team has decided to take action.
A statement from Aston Marti said: “Over the course of the past six weeks, Lance has been experiencing pain in his hand and wrist, which his medical consultant believes is in relation to the procedure he underwent in 2023.”
Team statement:
Over the course of the past six weeks Lance has been experiencing pain in his hand and wrist, which his medical consultant believes is in relation to the procedure he underwent in 2023.As a result his medical team have confirmed that he will not race tomorrow…
— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) May 31, 2025
“As a result, his medical team have confirmed that he will not race tomorrow and he will undergo a procedure to rectify these issues before focusing on his recovery.”
Reserve driver Felipe Drugovich is in Barcelona this weekend but is unable to drive during the race. Article 32.2 a) of the F1 sporting regulations states that all drivers have to take part in at least one qualifying session to be allowed to race. The question remains why Aston Martin didn’t let Drugovich take part in FP1 if Stroll was in pain.
The absence of Stroll could provide Aston Martin with a headache
There is no time frame for when Lance Stroll will be fit to race after the procedure. Aston Martin currently has two reserve drivers on their books, Felipe Drugovich and Stoffel Vandoorne. However, for the next race in Canada, both drivers will be competing in the 24HR race in Le Mans.
Aston Martin also has a young driver, Jak Crawford, competing in F2, but the American driver doesn’t have enough points on his super licence to be eligible to compete in an F1 race.
JAK CRAWFORD WINS THE MONACO FEATURE RACE!
Fornaroli is 2nd, Montoya finishes P3#F2 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/1yeYJPNsYZ
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) May 25, 2025
The only option for Aston Martin would be to call on Mercedes reserve driver Valtteri Bottas. The Green Team currently has a partnership with the Silver Arrows, who supply Aston Martin with their engine. With Aston unlikely to be a threat to Mercedes, they could lend Bottas for a few races if needed. But with their partnership ending after this season, will Mercedes allow this to happen?
