Stroll reveals details of private test as he prepares to return to cockpit after wrist procedure

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll has revealed details of a private test he undertook at the Circuit Paul Ricard in order to prepare for his return to Formula 1 this weekend in Montreal – having missed the previous race in Spain after undergoing a medical procedure on his wrist.

Stroll sustained fractures and a broken toe in a pre-season training incident back in 2023. But despite undergoing surgery at the time, the Canadian reported pain in his wrist in the run-up to the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix – with Stroll qualifying in P14 for the race before withdrawing on Saturday evening.

Having undergone another procedure in the intervening weeks, Stroll explained in the build-up to the Canadian Grand Prix why he’d chosen to have medical intervention when he did.

“I started to feel some pain in my wrist and hand a couple of months ago, but I wanted to keep racing,” he said.

BARCELONA, SPAIN - MAY 31: Lance Stroll of Canada driving the (18) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR25 — Stroll qualified in P14 in Spain before withdrawing from the race

“However, the discomfort just became too much, and we made the decision to have medical intervention. Naturally, I was disappointed to miss the race in Barcelona but it was the right call at the time, and I’m looking forward to getting back to racing this weekend… [The wrist’s] feeling good.”

NEED TO KNOW: The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix

To ensure he wasn’t jumping into the car ‘cold’ at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Stroll revealed that he’d driven in a private test in order to see how his wrist would hold up at racing speeds.

“I got some laps in at Circuit Paul Ricard in the south of France before heading to Canada, so I’ve been back behind the wheel before the race weekend begins, which is really beneficial,” he said. “I felt good in the cockpit so now my full focus is on this weekend.

MONTREAL, CANADA - JUNE 07: Crowd support for Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team during practice at — The Canadian fans will have a home driver to cheer on

“I’m really looking forward to racing in front of my home crowd in Montreal,” Stroll added. “Come rain or shine, the fans are loud and passionate for our sport in Canada and the support they give me as a local driver really does mean a lot. Hopefully we can fight for some more points this weekend.”

BETTING GUIDE: Who are the favourites as F1 moves on to Canada?

Aston Martin currently sit P9 in the Teams’ Standings, tied with Kick Sauber on 16 points, Stroll having scored 14 of those to team mate Fernando Alonso’s two – with eight of them having come via Stroll’s sixth-place finish at the season opener in Australia.