Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll will be absent from Sunday`s Spanish Grand Prix. The Canadian is experiencing pain in his hand and wrist, which necessitates surgical intervention.
Stroll, who secured 14th place in qualifying for the race, underwent treatment on his wrist in 2023 following a cycling mishap. Aston Martin has indicated that the current pain is connected to that previous procedure.
He sustained the injury during a cycling accident before the 2023 season, which led him to miss pre-season testing. Despite this, he was able to participate in the season`s opening race two years ago.
Aston Martin confirmed there will be no replacement driver for Stroll. Consequently, the Spanish Grand Prix race on Sunday afternoon will feature a reduced field of 19 competitors.
In a statement, Aston Martin explained: “Over the past six weeks, Lance has been experiencing discomfort in his hand and wrist. His medical consultant believes this is related to the surgery he had in 2023.”
The team added that as a consequence, his medical team has confirmed he will not race and will undergo a procedure to address these issues before commencing his recovery phase.
Regarding his 2023 cycling accident, Stroll previously stated: “It was an unfortunate accident – I fell from my bike when my tyre caught a hole in the ground – but thankfully the damage was not significant and a successful minor surgery on my right wrist fixed the problem very quickly.”
Separately, and seemingly unrelated to his withdrawal, Stroll was under investigation during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend for not adhering to the post-qualifying regulations. He remained in his garage for five minutes before proceeding to be weighed.
Drivers are required to head directly to the weighing scales immediately after their qualifying session concludes. Stroll also did not pass through the pit lane as required.
The FIA had not publicly announced a verdict regarding this specific incident.
Gilbert Pendleton 
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