Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll was forced to withdraw from the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday evening, just hours after qualifying 14th at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, due to persistent pain in his hand and wrist. The team announced that the 26-year-old Canadian, who has been grappling with discomfort for the past six weeks, will undergo a medical procedure to address complications linked to a surgery he had in 2023 following a cycling accident. The decision leaves Aston Martin with only one car on the grid for Sunday’s race, as teammate Fernando Alonso prepares to start from 10th place.
The pain Stroll experienced is believed to stem from injuries sustained in a February 2023 cycling accident in Malaga, where he fractured both wrists and a toe. That incident forced him to miss pre-season testing, but Stroll made a remarkable recovery to compete in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, finishing sixth despite significant discomfort. According to Aston Martin’s head of trackside engineering, Mike Krack, Stroll had been managing recurring pain in recent weeks, which worsened significantly during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend. “Lance was probably in much more pain than he was really telling us and his medical team,” Krack told SiriusXM. After qualifying, Stroll sought immediate medical attention, leading to the decision to withdraw from the race to prioritize his health.
The timing of Stroll’s withdrawal, announced late Saturday night, meant Aston Martin could not field a replacement driver. Formula 1 regulations, specifically Article 32.2 of the sporting regulations, stipulate that a driver change cannot occur after the start of qualifying unless exceptional circumstances are approved by the stewards. Although Aston Martin has reserve drivers Felipe Drugovich, the 2022 Formula 2 champion, and Stoffel Vandoorne, a former McLaren F1 driver, neither was eligible to step in as they had not participated in a practice session during the weekend. The team also has access to Mercedes reserve Valtteri Bottas and young driver Jak Crawford, but the regulatory restriction left Aston Martin with no option but to run a single car.
Adding to the complexity, Stroll faced scrutiny from the FIA stewards after qualifying for failing to follow the mandatory post-qualifying weigh-in procedure. Instead of proceeding directly to the FIA scales, he spent approximately five minutes in the Aston Martin garage, reportedly seeking medical attention for his wrist pain. The stewards investigated the breach, which is considered a fundamental aspect of ensuring sporting fairness, but issued only a warning to the team due to the mitigating circumstances of Stroll’s medical condition. The stewards noted that Aston Martin should have promptly informed FIA officials of the situation to facilitate appropriate assistance, emphasizing the importance of compliance with weighing protocols.
The withdrawal raises questions about Stroll’s participation in the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix, his home race, scheduled for June 15 in Montreal. No official timeline for his recovery has been provided, with Krack stating, “I’m an engineer, not a doctor, so I cannot really say. We will wait to see how the situation develops and then take the appropriate decisions.” Should Stroll be unable to compete, Drugovich or Vandoorne could be called upon, though both are set to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which coincides with the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, potentially complicating replacement plans.