Lance Stroll might miss the start of 2023 F1 season after injury extent revealed

Lance Stroll might miss the start of the 2023 F1 season after reportedly breaking both his wrists in a cycling accident. The Canadian's injuries were originally reported as being somewhat relatively minor, but reports now suggest the Aston Martin driver has fractures in both wrists.

F2 champion Felipe Drugovich replaced Stroll during the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain. The Brazilian driver might be filling in for Stroll in the first few races of the 2023 F1 season if the Canadian is unable to make a speedy recovery in time.

Drugovich's AMR23 suffered from an electronics-related issue in the first half of the day, resulting in him only completing 40 laps.

Lance Stroll's 2023 campaign will take a significant hit if he is unable to appear in the first few races. This will give his teammate and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso the upper hand in the drivers' standings. Alonso managed to put in the second-fastest time in the second half of Day 1 of testing in Bahrain.

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Sebastian Vettel helped Lance Stroll become a better driver

Aston Martin's Lance Stroll claims Sebastian Vettel made him a better racing driver over the course of the two years that they spent together at the outfit. Four-time world champion Vettel retired from the sport after the 2022 season.

Stroll and Vettel were paired for the entirety of the German's time at Aston Martin from 2021 to the end of 2022. In his time there, the former Red Bull driver managed to clinch one podium - at the 2021 Azerbaijan GP. Stroll finished below Sebastian Vettel in the driver's standings in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but said the German had a big impact on his development.

Stroll told Motorsport.com.

"He's extremely experiencednand very talented. A four-time champion, so that says it all. It's really just been a lot of fun. I mean, he's been a competitor in the car, but I think he's really pushed me to understand different things, like how to approach the weekend, how to adapt my work ethic, and be a better racing driver."

"I definitely learned a lot from him in that regard, just watching how he does his things."

Fans are hoping that Lance Stroll makes a recovery from his injuries before the start of the 2023 season, putting the team in a good position for times to come.