Mike Krack, Aston Martin Formula 1 boss, hinted at a possible replacement, retired Sebastian Vettel, for the injured Lance stroll.
Stroll had a cycling incident in Spain while training for the 2023 season. Therefore, he also missed the pre-season testing in Bahrain because of injuries.
Nonetheless, Krack insists that Stroll is the Plan A for the team. He insisted that no alternatives are considered until the Canadian can’t drive in his seat at Bahrain Grand Prix.
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Felipe Drugovich, official reserve driver at Williams, filled in for the Stroll at preseason testing in Bahrain. He remains the obvious favorite for the replacement if needed.
However, if Stroll remained unfit for a longer duration and unable to join Saudia Arabia race, then Vettel remains a possibility. The German driver would have more time to fit in the team. He retired last year with a count of 299 F1 races to his name.
Krack on Vettel re-entry
Krack confirmed he he has contacted four times world champion since Stroll injuries. However, he declined to comment on the interest of Vettel to return to F1 cockpit.
“I have had a couple of phone calls with Sebastian,” said Krack. “But this has been also last year, and this will continue in the future.”
Asked if the German has showed interest, he added:“I will not tell you.”
Krack did not shut the door of possibilities for Vettel to return to the team.
“I mean, this is very, very hypothetical,” he said. “First of all, our plan is to have Lance in the car. And then we continue to see because we have Bahrain first before we speak about Jeddah. We have not made the final decision. That’s the point.
“Don’t forget one thing. He had a very, very thorough plan in mind for his retirement. And, you know, I think this is also something that you have to respect. So let’s see what’s happening.”
Krack admitted that the condition of Stroll is unclear: “I honestly don’t know at this point. He’s our Plan A obviously, we want to have Lance back in the car, but we have to wait, what he says and what the doctors are saying in the right moment.”
