The Formula 1 2023 season is right upon us, as the first race of the season is set to occur this Sunday, March 5th.
It’s been a long time without Formula 1 racing, with the last race taking place in Abu Dhabi on November 20th, 2022.
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With lots of new drivers, new team bosses, and drivers switching teams, it’s finally time to see if all these moves will be worth it for the teams. However, we might be without a regular Formula 1 driver when the lights go out in Bahrain. Canadian driver, Lance Stroll, has been out with an injury during a training session on his bike. He announced the injury on his Instagram page 1 week ago today. He stated that he should be ready to go this Sunday for the Grand Prix, but it looks like that might not necessarily be the case, as it seems his recovery is taking longer than initially expected.
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There was lots of speculation on who would replace the Canadian driver if he would not be ready to suit up this Sunday. There were talks about Aston Martin reserve driver, Stoffel Vandoorne, getting the call to race. Other talks were saying their young academy driver and Formula 2 winner, Filipe Drugovich would get the call, even some reports going out that retired Formula 1 driver, former Aston Martin driver, and overall fan-favourite driver, Sebastian Vettel, would get the call to race one more time.
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However today, all those rumors and guesses can be put to rest, as Aston Martin has confirmed who will replace Lance Stroll, should he not be ready to race this Sunday. The driver to replace Stroll will be their young prospect, Filipe Drugovich, which to me, made the most sense.
They have nothing to gain by putting Vandoorne in the car, and while everyone loves Vettel, he chose to retire last year, meaning he willingly gave up his seat. It’s the smart call by Aston Martin to give their young driver a chance, should they need to.
The first race of the season will be in Bahrain, with the race starting at 7 am (PST). This is an hour later than it usually starts, so thankfully we can all get an extra hour of sleep for a more doable watch time.