- Lance Stroll has been withdrawn from the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.
- As per the regulations, Aston Martin cannot call on one of its reserve drivers to fill the vacant seat.
- Fernando Alonso will be the sole Aston Martin driver in Sunday’s race.
- For more sports news, go to the News24 Sport front page.
As Q1 in qualifying for Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix drew to a close, Lance Stroll smashed his Aston Martin into the wall at the final corner.
Trying to progress into Q2 and not be last of the 20 runners, the Canadian got his turn-in wrong, unsettling the car and careening into the barricades.
Though he walked away unscathed, a procedural trip to the medical centre gave him the all-clear. However, just hours before the race, Aston Martin dropped a bombshell confirming that Stroll would not participate in the race.
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“Following Lance’s crash in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix, Lance and the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team have jointly agreed that he will not participate in this evening’s race,” the statement read.
“The team face a huge job repairing the car, and Lance is still sore following such a high impact. Lance’s focus now shifts to fully recovering ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.”
The candidates
Aston Martin is fortunate to have two reserve drivers on their books: Felipe Drugovich and Stoffel Vandoorne.
Vandoorne is no stranger to F1, having competed in the sport for McLaren between 2016 and 2018. Having raced during one of the most turbulent in McLaren’s F1 history, the Belgian sought other racing opportunities, including Formula E, where he won the championship in 2022.
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At 31, he brings a wealth of experience, along with 23-year-old Drugovich.
The Brazilian is the 2018 Euro Formula Open and 2022 Formula 2 champions.
Given how both Aston Martin and McLaren are closely affiliated and associated with Mercedes, Vandoorne and Drugovich are options for McLaren should the need arise.
Stoffel Vandoorne
Who will fill the seat?
According to the Formula 1 sporting regulations, teams may call up a reserve driver if one of the regular drivers cannot compete in the remainder of a race weekend. However, though the rules make provision for this, the call-up must be done before qualifying.
Article 32.2 of the sporting regulations reads: “A change of driver may be made at any time before the start of the qualifying practice session provided any change proposed after the end of initial scrutineering receives the consent of the stewards.
“Additional changes for reasons of force majeure will be considered separately.”
As such, Aston Martin will not fill Stroll’s vacant seat, even if both reserve drivers were in Singapore and ready to step up. Had Stroll crashed during one of the three practice sessions, either one of the team’s reserve drivers would have been given the nod.
Starting in P7, Fernando Alonso is the sole Aston Martin in Sunday’s race. To date, he scored most of the team’s 217 points this year: 170 to Stroll’s 47. He is also third in the Championship standings.
The Singapore Grand Prix gets under way at 14:00.