"That’s the sort of spirit I like to see" - Aston Martin driver impressed Martin Brundle at Bahrain

Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll's recovery from an accident to go racing at the 2023 F1 Bahrain GP has been dubbed as 'simply outstanding'. It is also being described as an almost 'unbelievable' feat by former driver-turned-pundit Martin Brundle.

Lance Stroll fractured both his wrists as well as the big toe on his right foot 12 days prior to the 2023 season opener in a cycling accident. The Canadian was ruled out of pre-season testing in Sakhir as a result and saw reigning F2 world champion Felipe Drugovich take his place instead.

Despite the odds being stacked against him, Stroll underwent surgery on both his wrists to be fit enough to climb back into the Aston Martin AMR 23 in time for the first race weekend. What followed can only be described as a Herculean effort on his part.

Stroll qualified in P8 for the race in Bahrain before crossing the line in P6, ahead of George Russell's Mercedes. The result was celebrated almost as much as Fernando Alonso's podium finish on his debut for team Silverstone. Brundle highlighted the magnitude of his ordeal in his post-race column for Sky Sports.

“What Lance went through to get onto the grid, let alone finish the race ahead of a works Mercedes was simply outstanding, bordering on unbelievable. I don’t want it to sound negative about his previous exploits, but he massively went up in my estimation this weekend with his determination to drive the car despite tolerating the wrist and toe injuries that forced him to miss pre-season testing – that’s the sort of spirit I like to see."

Brundle went on to heap praise on the Aston Martin driver for persevering through the pain barrier.

When he decisively got ahead of George [Russell, Mercedes], I assumed he simply had to physically fade at some point, but he didn’t and held on to sixth.”

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Max Verstappen backs Fernando Alonso to fight for race wins in 2023 F1 season with Aston Martin

Max Verstappen believes Aston Martin has a competitive package that could see them contending for race wins in the 2023 F1 season.

While Red Bull romped to a one-two-finish in the season opener in Bahrain, the talk of the town was Fernando Alonso's podium on debut for Aston Martin.

When asked if the result was a sign of an impending title challenge from Fernando Alonso during the post-race press conference in which Sportskeeda was present, Verstappen said:

"I hope so for Fernando because he has had a few years where there was not really a possibility to fight at the front, so I'm happy to see him sitting here already in race one. At Aston Martin, they really have the spirit and drive, they want to win and they've hired a lot of good people. So I guess it can only get better for them."

The reigning world champion went on to add:

"And I think for this year, it's difficult to say if they're going to challenge for the championship, but race wins are definitely on the table. You still win two or three races a year because sometimes they are some tracks which really suit your car and everything just comes together and you can win a race with maybe sometimes a bit of help or luck."

Alonso has not won a race since 2013 and Aston Martin has never won a race in the team's current iteration. But it would come as no surprise if the Spaniard were to change that statistic for himself and team Silverstone this season.