3 possible replacements for Lance Stroll at the 2023 F1 Bahrain GP

Lance Stroll's injury and the suspense around it have put a cloud of smoke over the possibility of the Canadian taking part in the first race of the season. Reportedly, Stroll suffered an injury on his wrist due to an accident while cycling. The nature of the injury or its severity is not yet clear and the Aston Martin driver was forced to sit out of the first and only pre-season test in Bahrain.

In Stroll's place, reigning F2 champion Felipe Drugovich was placed in the car as the Brazilian did an admirable job. Having said that, the team has not announced what it is looking to do in the future. The first F1 race of the season is next week and if Lance Stroll is not fit, the team will have to put a replacement in place.

Who could be a possible replacement for Lance Stroll? Let's take a look.

Possible Lance Stroll replacements available for Aston Martin

#1 Felipe Drugovich

The first name in all of this appears to be the obvious candidate, Felipe Drugovich. The Brazilian is the reigning F2 champion and Aston Martin's reserve driver this season. This was one of the reasons why the Brazilian got an opportunity as well.

The Brazilian has driven the car during pre-season tests and is now well-versed in the car. He's done decently running in the car and has been impressive. After not getting a seat in F1 despite winning the F2 championship last season, the Brazilian is looking for options on the grid in a bid to establish himself in the sport.

The team appears to have him in pole position by the looks of it. Looking at the fact that he got the first run in Aston Martin, he might be the driver the team gyrates towards for the first race.

#2 Stoffel Vandoorne

The reigning Formula E champion knows a thing or two about being Fernando Alonso's teammate in F1. The last time he did that, it was at McLaren and the one-sided nature of the battle in 2018 meant a one-way ticket out of F1. Since then, Stoffel has been associated with Mercedes as a reserve driver and a Formula E driver.

He won the Formula E title last season and just like his teammate Nyck de Vries from the series, is rated very highly. Stoffel moved to Aston Martin this season from Mercedes and in terms of driving ability, he's not a bad choice either.

Having said that, the Belgian driver also has a Formula E campaign to worry about and hopes that the schedule does not clash. In all likelihood, chances of Stoffel's return to F1 as Lance Stroll's replacement look unlikely but never say never in F1!

#3 Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel looked like a preposterous option as Lance Stroll's replacement for Bahrain. Primarily because he's off camping in Sweden, as revealed by his brother Fabian to Sky Germany. However, all of this changed when Mike Krack, the Aston Martin team principal, hinted at the possibility of Vettel driving alongside Fernando Alonso in the first race of the season (now, wouldn't that be a pairing).

Speaking to the media at the end of the pre-season test, Mike Krack had revealed that Lance Stroll continued to plan A for the team. However, at the same time, he did not completely dismiss the idea of having Sebastian Vettel in the car. Speaking about the status of Lance Stroll's recovery, Krack said:

“I don’t know, at this point. I honestly don’t know at this point. It’s our plan A, obviously, you want to have Lance back in the car. But we have to wait for what he says and what the doctors say. The Plan B we have to decide – we have some Plan B’s, but we have to decide the Plan B when Plan A is first. It’s very simple: Can he drive or can he not drive?”

When questioned if he's had any conversations with Sebastian Vettel, Krack said:

“I have had a couple of phone calls with Sebastian. But this has been also last year, and this will continue in the future."

When pushed if Vettel could be making a one-off appearance for Aston Martin, Mike Krack had a wry smile on his face as he said:

“I will not tell you!”

In all likelihood, Vettel returning seems to be a long shot but it's safe to say that Aston Martin will try to pursue that. A combination of Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso could end up being the best PR that the team can have. Will it happen? Let's not get our hopes high for this one.