Lance Stroll is officially out of the 2025 Spanish GP as the Aston Martin driver withdraws after experiencing physical pain in Saturday’s qualifying, where had finished 14th at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The Canadian was eliminated in Q2 with a 1:13.058 on the board, missing the cut-off point for the top 10 by around half a second to his teammate, Fernando Alonso, on May 31 as he struggled with his fitness.
As a result, the 26-year-old and his team have made the decision to withdraw him from the race on June 1 to allow him to focus on recovering, without endangering himself or his fellow drivers.
“Over the course of the past six weeks Lance has been experiencing pain in his hand and wrist,” an official statement from Aston Martin read. “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.”
In the build-up to the 2023 Formula 1 season, Stroll crashed whilst cycling and suffered multiple injuries, including a broken wrist that required surgery, causing him to miss preseason testing in Bahrain.
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He managed to make his return at the same circuit in time for the season opener, but was visibly in pain and had to take his hand off the steering wheel at times to rest it as he went on to finish sixth.
Will Lance Stroll be replaced at the 2025 Spanish GP?
Due to the FIA rules, Stroll will not be replaced by another driver for Sunday’s F1 race. That is because regulations stipulate a competitor must have completed a Free Practice session OR qualifying session.
As all of those sessions have now passed, there is no opportunity for Aston Martin’s reserve drivers, Felipe Drugovich or Stoffel Vandoorne, to step into the car. Thus, Stroll’s grid spot will be left vacant when the lights go out.
So 19 drivers will compete, and everyone currently classified as below 14th in qualifying will de facto move up the order. They are: Oliver Bearman, Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz, Franco Colapinto and Yuki Tsunoda.
When is the 2025 Spanish GP: What is the start time for the F1 race in Barcelona?
The 2025 Spanish GP will begin at 15:00 local time (CET) in Montemelo, Barcelona.
Fans in the UK should tune in to Sky Sports F1 from 14:00 BST.
Whilst fans in the United States can catch the action from 09:00 ET/06:00 PT live on ESPN, ESPN+ or ESPN Deportes.
Spectators from Australia should turn on their televisions into Fox Sports/Kayo from 23:00 AEST.
