Ideal time for Aston Martin to see if Drugovich is the real deal

At the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, Aston Martin withdrew Stroll from Sunday’s race after qualifying, citing continued pain in the same wrist he fractured ahead of the 2023 season. According to the team, the Canadian has raced through discomfort for nearly two years, but it just got to much in Spain.

If Stroll remains sidelined for his home race in Montreal, Drugovich would be the logical substitute. However, the timing and logistics are complicated. The 2025 Canadian Grand Prix clashes with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Drugovich is scheduled to compete for the Whelen Cadillac team.

Speaking ahead of the French endurance classic, Drugovich said: “At the moment, I don't even know exactly how things will happen from now on. First of all, we have to wish Lance the best. For Le Mans, in that regard, my priority has always been Formula 1, so that's what must be maintained until then.”

Former F1 driver and pundit Johnny Herbert believes Drugovich must seize the moment if he gets the call-up: “Felipe Drugovich has a big, big opportunity while Lance Stroll is out, and these opportunities don't come across very often."

The Englishman continued: "I finished P4 in my first Grand Prix, and those types of performances ‘wow’ people. Positivity comes with it. You have to keep producing those results, though. It's a good chance for Drugovich to go up against Fernando Alonso.

"If he can equal or beat him, he'll get a lot of plaudits. If Drugovich is around a tenth away from him, that will be very positive. Anything more than four or five tenths will not be a good first impression. That sounds unfair, but it's the high expectations.

“It would also be a negative for Alonso if this young kid comes in and beats him. This is a chance for an F1 career. Max Verstappen did it when he was 17, and Drugovich needs to replicate that – go out and wow people," ventured Herbert.

Aston Martin’s other reserve, Stoffel Vandoorne, is also unavailable due to Le Mans duties with Peugeot. Experienced Mercedes stand-in and Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas has also been loosely linked to a temporary substitute role.

Born in Brazil in 2000, Drugovich began his single-seater career in 2016, racing in both ADAC and Italian F4. He rose to prominence in 2018 by dominating the Euroformula Open championship, winning 14 of 16 races with Van Amersfoort Racing.

After a tough 2019 FIA Formula 3 season with Carlin, he stepped up to FIA Formula 2 in 2020 with MP Motorsport, securing three wins in his rookie year. Following a quieter 2021 at UNI-Virtuosi, he returned to MP in 2022 and claimed the F2 title convincingly, becoming the first Brazilian champion in the category since Bruno Senna.

That success earned him a place in Aston Martin’s development programme. He made his Formula 1 free practice debut at Monza in 2022 and was on standby to replace Stroll at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix.

While Drugovich waits in the wings, Fernando Alonso continues as the team’s performance benchmark. Herbert believes the two-time World Champion remains motivated, despite Aston Martin’s current limitations.

Herbert shared his thoughts on Alonso's future: “Fernando's career is coming to an end. He's not in a very competitive car, it can barely fight for points. But he is still very motivated.

"With the AMR25 unlikely to deliver more than occasional top-ten finishes, expectations are already shifting to the arrival of Adrian Newey and the 2026 regulations. Until then, Alonso remains in a holding pattern.

“Alonso knows what Adrian Newey has done in the past. He knows what Lawrence Stroll is creating at Aston Martin. He knows the Aston Martin project might not come to fruition until after Alonso's career is at an end, but they should improve in 2026. Is Alonso capable of giving the performances that are needed?

“He showed those performances in 2023 when he was finishing on the podium consistently. It will be fascinating to see how he competes against the new generation – the likes of Max, Oscar, Lando, George, Charles and more.

“In my opinion, each generation keeps improving and they’re a damn impressive bunch to watch. It will be interesting to see how Alonso could compete against them in his last few years in F1, but time is not on his side," warned Herbert.

At the forthcoming Canadian Grand Prix, Alonso is set to make his 411th Grand Prix start. The two-time F1 World Champion has 106 podium finishes to his name, 32 times as a winner. His last victory in Formula 1, was his home Spanish Grand Prix in 2013.