It’s literally the day after testing – can we not have a day of rest before more news comes flooding in?! Aston Martin has now confirmed Felipe Drugovich will race in Bahrain IF, and that’s a big a if, Lance Stroll hasn’t fully recovered from his injuries. Something tells us the Sebastian Vettel return rumours got a little bit too hot last night 🥵
Yesterday, we were getting a bit too excited about the prospect of Vettel driving his 300th race in place of Lance Stroll, after Aston Martin didn’t exactly shut down the idea of a comeback.
Now, they’ve announced that if Lance Stroll hasn’t fully recovered, they will give the drive to Felipe Drugovich. Coincidence? I think not.
An update on our driver line-up for the #BahrainGP.Â
The team will continue to give Lance every chance to race, pending recovery from his injury. Should he not be fit to compete, then Felipe will drive the AMR23 alongside Fernando. pic.twitter.com/G0gtPt0tAh
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) February 26, 2023
Felipe has filled in for Lance and driven the AMR23 in two morning sessions over the course of pre-season testing, so putting him in the car for the first race of the season makes a lot of sense. He would be the first Brazillian to start a race since 2020 when Pietro Fittipaldi stepped in for Romain Grosjean following his accident in Bahrain.
Although we were somewhat hopeful for a Vettel masterclass alongside Fernando Alonso, giving a drive to your reserve driver is definitely the more morally correct way to go, and Felipe, as the current Formula 2 champion, is more than capable. But as for someone who was also considered for the drive, I wouldn’t like to see what Stoffel Vandoorne’s face looks like right now.
There’s still speculation that Aston Martin could give the car to Vettel not at Sakhir, but at Jeddah, where his experience of the place will be particularly valuable relative to Felipe and Stoffel.
Is Felipe Drugovich the best option to replace Stroll if needed?Â
