Lance Stroll has detailed the panic of breaking his wrists and toe in a mountain bike accident just two weeks out from the Formula 1 season opener.
The Aston Martin driver went into surgery in Spain the week of pre-season testing, with work done on his right wrist that he had fractured and displaced.
His left wrist was broken and he had partially fractured his hand too.
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The Canadian watched from his hotel room as reserve driver Felipe Drugovich of Brazil took his place in the three-day test, only adding insult to injury.
Stroll was told he would likely miss the first race of the year in Bahrain and subsequent races in Saudi Arabia and Australia.
However, renowned traumatology specialist doctor Javier Mir – famed for his work with MotoGP riders like Marc Marquez – gave Stroll hope he could compete.
“It was the most insane two weeks of my life,” Stroll told the F1 Nation podcast.
“I fell off my bike and I went down really hard and I knew right away I was just broken.
“I knew right away both wrists were crushed and I only realised my toe at the end of the day, because I was so focused on my wrists.
“I had a 20-minute walk back from where I crashed the bike to the car because we were riding through the forest and my whole world was just crumbling in front of me.
“Because I was already thinking I’m probably going to miss a few races, maybe Australia.
“All those thoughts are going through your head and like horrible timing, four days before leaving for the test or even less.”
Initially, doctors only picked up on his broken right wrist. That required surgery while the left wrist was put in a cast. He could do little for his fractured toe but keep off it.
Against all odds, Stroll drove through the pain, finishing sixth in the Bahrain Grand Prix while teammate Fernando Alonso wound up third.
“I didn’t think I was going to be able to be in the car any time soon,” Stroll explained.
“I couldn’t move. I was so far from being fit to drive. I was just with my osteopath 10 hours a day doing rehab trying to get back into it.
“It still felt so impossible watching the test. Then suddenly, this past week, Monday-Tuesday, I was like maybe I can start to feel a little bit more movement. Then Wednesday even more.
“I was in the sim(ulator) on Wednesday and it hurt like hell, but by the time I get there Friday for FP1 maybe I’ll be able to do it. It’s only going to get better and better every day.
“The doctor checked me out on Tuesday night in Barcelona. He said, ‘Yeah, I’m happy with the right wrist. The surgery looks stable. The left wrist, the fractures look like they’re healthy enough to go racing. It’s just about pain tolerance but I’m not worried about you hurting this more’.
“So I was like, ‘okay, I’m screwed, I’m just going to try’. Anyway, it was a great life experience, makes for a great dinner story. Don’t want to ever have it again.”
Stroll admitted that he was in pain following 57-lap affair and expected to be sore in the days after the opening race.
Formula 1 continues its 2023 season March 20 with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit where it’s expected Stroll will race.
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