Aston Martin announced on February 26th (Sunday), the day after the final day of pre-season testing, that Felipe Dolgovic will be appointed to the Bahrain Grand Prix, the opening round of the 2023 season, if Lance Stroll is forced to withdraw.
Team representative Mike Clark admitted that he had contacted Sebastian Vettel, who had been a regular driver until last year, after Stroll’s injury, but unfortunately the dream tag with Fernando Alonso did not come true.
Courtesy Of Aston Martin Lagonda Limited
Felipe Dolgovic, Aston Martin F1 Team Official Reserve Driver for 2023, February 12, 2023
Stroll’s replacement options also included fellow reserve driver Stoffel van Doorn, but he was unable to participate in last weekend’s test due to conflict with Formula E’s fifth round.
Rumors have also circulated that the 24-year-old Canadian driver was involved in a bicycle accident in Spain with both wrists broken. However, the team is stubbornly tight-lipped about his condition, and his participation in the opening game of the season is in doubt day by day.
FIA-F2 champion Dolgovic, who joined Aston at the end of last year, drove the AMR23 in two of the six pre-season tests held from February 23-25. He had Clack say, “It was perfect.”
If Dragovic makes his F1 debut next weekend, he would be the first Brazilian driver since Pietro Fittipaldi, who replaced Romain Grosjean at the end of 2020.
