Felipe Drugovich, 2022 FIA Formula 2 Champion, has had a last minute call up to Formula 1 to replace the injured Lance Stroll at Aston Martin in the Bahrain Pre-Season test.
Stroll picked up an injury whilst training, handing Drugovich the chance to drive the AMR23 in the three day test around Bahrain. Speaking of the opportunity, Drugovich stated that he was, “happy for Aston martin’s confidence” in naming him as Stroll’s replacement, but also wished the Canadian a good recovery.
Ahead of this year as a reserve driver, Drugovich has said that he’s, “very excited to work alongside Fernando and Lance”, calling it, “a great opportunity… My goal is to learn as much as I can.” – and this testing opportunity will help further his knowledge.
Drugovich joins a roster of impressive Formula 2 talents in the F1 test. This includes champions Leclerc, Russell, De Vries & Piastri and fellow 2022 alumni Sargeant. The three day test will be the first showcase of the 2023 Formula One cars and will give an indication as to what the competitive order might be for the year ahead.
The test commences on February 23rd, running until the 25th with track running from 10:00 to 19:30 local time. It takes place around the Bahrain International Circuit, ahead of next weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
