Aston Martin has confirmed that Lance Stroll will not take part in the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix. The Silverstone-based team revealed that the Canadian driver has been experiencing pain in his hands and wrists, ruling him out of the upcoming race.
Stroll previously sustained multiple fractures and injuries to both wrists in a cycling accident ahead of the 2023 season. After undergoing surgery and an intensive rehabilitation program, the 26-year-old made a remarkable comeback at the season opener in Bahrain, finishing sixth, a performance widely praised by his teammate Fernando Alonso as a heroic effort.
The team stated that Stroll has been suffering from recurring pain in his hands and wrists over the last six weeks. His medical consultants believe the discomfort is linked to the surgical procedures he underwent in 2023. As a result, he may require further treatment and recovery, prompting his withdrawal from the Spanish Grand Prix.
With Aston Martin’s reserve drivers having not participated in any practice sessions so far this season, they are ineligible to race under current regulations. Consequently, Alonso will be the team’s sole representative on the grid in Barcelona.
Confirming Stroll’s withdrawal from the Spanish GP, Aston Martin said:
“Over the course of the past six weeks Lance has been experiencing pain in his hand and wrist, which his medical consultant believes is in relation to the procedure he underwent in 2023. As a result his medical team have confirmed that he will not race tomorrow and he will undergo a procedure to rectify these issues before focusing on his recovery.”
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll described his Spanish GP qualifying as ‘tricky’
Lance Stroll described his qualifying session for the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix as ‘tricky’ after placing 14th on the timesheets. The Aston Martin driver admitted he had no clear answers for the drop in pace and performance, pointing to car balance issues that persisted throughout the weekend. Despite the challenges, Stroll was content with progressing to Q2 and acknowledged that there are still areas of the car that need improvement.
In addition to his on-track struggles, Stroll was under investigation by the FIA for allegedly failing to follow the correct post-qualifying weighing procedure. According to FIA Technical Delegate Joe Bauer’s report, the Canadian spent time in the Aston Martin garage before proceeding to the weighing scales, without entering through the designated pit lane path, as required.
A team representative, along with Stroll, was summoned to meet with the FIA stewards at 17:45 local time. He is alleged to have breached Article 35.1 of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations and failed to comply with the Race Director’s Event Notes.
Speaking to onsite media after the session in Barcelona, the Aston Martin driver said:
“I think it’s just been tricky. I don’t have all the answers. From the first lap of the day it was just tricky to get on top of the balance and the car was moving.”
Speaking in the team statement qualifying report, he added:
“It’s been a tough weekend for us so far – the car hasn’t been easy to handle all weekend and it’s been challenging to put clean laps together. Nevertheless, we made it through to Q2 and we take any small wins we can get at the moment. We have lots of areas of the car that we need to look into and improve, but we’ll see what we can do tomorrow starting from P14.”
Speaking in the FIA Technical Delegate’s report, Joe Bauer said:
“After the second Qualifying session, the driver Lance Stroll, car number 18, did not follow the post Qualifying drivers weighing procedure as laid out in the Race Director’s Event Notes, item 13. Firstly the driver stayed 5 minutes in the teams garage before proceeding to the scales and secondly he did not proceed through the pit-lane.”
Lance Stroll currently sits 11th in the Drivers’ Championship with 14 points to his name, marking his best start to a Formula 1 season in seven years. The 26-year-old has been Aston Martin’s sole points-scorer across the first eight race weekends of 2025, including two sprint events, while teammate Fernando Alonso is yet to open his account.
Despite Stroll’s consistency, the Silverstone-based team finds itself eighth in the Constructors’ Championship, well adrift of the fifth-place it achieved in 2024.
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Edited by Tushar Bahl
