Stroll: Hopefully we can fight for some more points at home

Word is that the recurring pain was a lingering result of the 2023 cycling accident that Stroll suffered that year. In Spain it got to the point that Aston Martin opted to withdraw the team owner's son from the Grand Prix on Sunday.

But Stroll will return to the cockpit this weekend for his home race at the Canadian Grand Prix, having missed the Spanish Grand Prix due to a wrist injury that required a medical procedure.

Speaking ahead of Round 10 of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the Canadian driver confirmed he is fit and ready to race. “It's feeling good. I started to feel some pain in my wrist and hand a couple of months ago, but I wanted to keep racing.

"However, the discomfort just became too much, and we made the decision to have medical intervention. Naturally, I was disappointed to miss the race in Barcelona but it was the right call at the time, and I'm looking forward to getting back to racing this weekend.”

To prepare for his return, Stroll completed a private test session at Circuit Paul Ricard in France before heading to Montréal. “I got some laps in at Circuit Paul Ricard in the south of France before heading to Canada, so I've been back behind the wheel before the race weekend begins, which is really beneficial. I felt good in the cockpit so now my full focus is on this weekend.”

Stroll is particularly eager to get back behind the wheel on home soil, with the support of the Canadian crowd behind him. “I'm really looking forward to racing in front of my home crowd in Montréal. Come rain or shine, the fans are loud and passionate for our sport in Canada and the support they give me as a local driver really does mean a lot. Hopefully, we can fight for some more points this weekend.”

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is known for its unforgiving layout, requiring a mix of aggression and precision. “The circuit requires real precision at speed,” Stroll explained. “You need to thread the car around the lap between the narrow walls, often brushing them to get every last tenth of lap-time.

"It's quite a stop-start circuit, with heavy braking zones followed by long full-throttle sections; nailing your braking points and your corner exits is vital. The circuit can be hard on the car's brakes so you're always managing temperatures as well.”

This weekend also marks a milestone for Aston Martin, with the team celebrating its 100th Grand Prix since returning to the grid in 2021. Stroll, who has been with the outfit since its rebranding from Racing Point, reflected on the team’s development.

“It's great being part of the team since the start. It's incredible to see how much we've grown over the years. The number of talented people who have joined us has been remarkable and we've also built a fantastic new home.

"The AMR Technology Campus, complete with new wind tunnel and simulator, is a game-changer and a real statement of intent, and we're now working hard to optimise everything at our disposal. It's super exciting to be on this journey and the future is even more exciting," added Stroll.

In his preview of Round 10 this weekend in his homeland, 1997 Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve wighed in on the Stroll-saga: “I didn't see the incident, so it's hard to comment. But where’s the pressure? Why should he care? It's not like his seat is in jeopardy.

"His father owns the team. But at some point you get frustrated with the team’s current lack of form. So, who knows what happened in Spain? There might have been other things that we're not aware of that have nothing to do with the lap time. That's very easy to judge. We don't know what's going on.

“Lance got a hand injury which meant he couldn’t race in Spain. He broke both wrists a couple of years ago. It sounded like he’s damaged a hand again. But we don't know. Nobody has the true stories. It's always very dangerous to say, that's what happened. We just don't know. But if you have a wrist injury, then it's really hard to drive.

“There's no pressure on Lance, but at some point, people’s comments get into your ear, and it gets frustrating and annoying and the comments aren't necessarily very positive. So, every human being will start getting affected at some point," ventured Villeneuve, who was speaking to the BetVictor media team.

The 2025 Canadian Grand Prix takes place this weekend on Montréal’s Île Notre-Dame, with practice beginning on Friday.