Aston Martin F1 Boss Breaks Silence on Lance Stroll’s Form After Injury

Aston Martin Racing CEO and Team Principal Andy Cowell has offered his verdict on the situation that unfolded before the Spanish Grand Prix, when pain in Lance Stroll’s wrist caused him to miss out on the race.

The event led many to speculate on the cause of the injury, and whether Stroll’s alleged bad temper had caused it. While the Canadian driver took part in qualifying in Barcelona, securing a P14 starting position, he withdrew from Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Now, Stroll is all set to participate in his home race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, leading Cowell to talk about Stroll’s enthusiasm to get back in his car. Speaking to the media in Canada, he said:

“I think we have to respect the fact that all the drivers are ultra competitive and elite athletes. And the competitive nature means that they want to drive, they want to be in the race, they want to see the 5 red lights go out and have the experience of the 310 km race, and I’ve got a huge admiration for all the drivers and that competitive spirit and you see that across the whole team.

“Nobody wants to miss a race. But when, for medical reasons, things get too much and you’ve got to stop, and that was the situation on Saturday in Barcelona.

“But let’s think positively and look forward to the determination to get back in the car. The steps that have been taken, and these are steps that Lance has wanted to do, to quickly get into the factory and work with the engineers, work on ’26.

“Get in the simulator, take priority in the simulator over the tests that were going on, and then get to Paul Ricard and drive the car hard there and then come for this race weekend. Hats off to that journey.”

Stroll had suffered from broken wrists ahead of the 2023 F1 season in a cycling incident, for which he underwent surgery. However, he continued to feel the pain until the race weekend in Barcelona. When Cowell was asked for further details on why the problem wasn’t addressed much earlier, he said:

“We have to respect everybody’s medical privacy in situations like that.

“I think you know Lance is a determined racer. He was the most upset that he wasn’t driving Sunday in Barcelona, and he has been the most determined person in the whole team to make sure that he’s here this weekend.”

Revealing Stroll’s recent days that saw him test at Circuit Paul Ricard, Cowell said:

“I’ve been super impressed with the Lance has got stuck into the journey.

“He’s been in the factory a couple of times, working with people both on this year’s championship and next year’s championship, having lunch with Adrian, catching up with him on his thoughts on where we are as a team and where we’re moving forwards. And then going to Paul Ricard like you say before and having run in the simulator in the factory beforehand. It’s been a busy few days, but everything’s gone exceptionally well.”