At the wheel of Aston Martin, Lance Stroll obtained a magnificent sixth place at the start of the season in Bahrain last Sunday.
A performance that tastes like victory for the Canadian rider who came back from nowhere after being the victim of a bicycle accident less than a fortnight before the start of the season.
Fernando Alonso's teammate spoke at length about "
the craziest two weeks of his life
" in a podcast (F1 Nation) and in an Instagram message accompanied by a video that says a lot about the road traveled by the pilot since his misadventure.
To discover
Formula 1: the calendar of the season
Formula 1: manufacturers' classification
Formula 1: drivers classification
Just before winter testing in Qatar on February 23, the rider fell heavily on his bike while training.
“
I knew straight away that I had broken something and that both wrists were affected.
Regarding my toe, I only realized it at the end of the day because I was very focused on my wrists,
”he explains first, explaining that he had to walk for about thirty minutes, injured. , to get to his car.
After passing tests, Stroll learned in Spain that he had fractured his right wrist, two bones in his left wrist and also the toe of his right foot.
Doctor Mir, who has operated on many MotoGP riders, is planning an emergency intervention but the news on the date of his recovery is not encouraging: "He
told me that he was going to immobilize the left wrist for two to four weeks , not knowing how long it would take on the right wrist…hoping that I would start moving a bit for Bahrain, and eventually piloting, knowing that it would take time for the toe and it had to be rested .
»
While his medical team was convinced he was going to miss the first races of the championship, Stroll overcame the pain of the first rehabilitation sessions.
On the video accompanying his Instagram message, we can see the pins consolidating his wrists and his first work sessions.
“
The timing couldn't have been worse
,” worries the Canadian.
“
I didn't imagine being able to get in the car anytime soon.
I couldn't move, I was far from being able to fly.
I spent ten hours a day with my osteopath Henry doing rehabilitation, trying to get back to work.
But it still seemed impossible to me
,” he adds.
And then comes the click.
"
Last week, Monday and Tuesday, I felt like I could do more moves.
And Wednesday even more…
”, he explains.
"It's a matter of pain tolerance"
Lance Stroll then slips into the team simulator on Wednesday, two days before the first tests.
“
I was in great pain.
I was thinking that by the first practice session on Friday, it might be able to do it.
The doctors, satisfied with the progress, gave it the green light.
For the toe, inoperable, on the other hand, it will be necessary to grit the teeth.
"
It's a matter of pain tolerance
," he is told.
The rest, we know.
The 24-year-old driver, son of billionaire Lawrence Stroll, owner of the Aston Martin team, rushed into the seat of his single-seater on Friday, which he discovered when all the other competitors had been able to complete three days of testing the previous week in Bahrain.
An unexpected eighth place on the grid then a sixth in the race on Sunday, synonymous with absolute happiness.
“
Anyway, it was a great life experience, a great story to tell over dinner!
But I never want to know that again!”,
concluded the Canadian on this incredible return to the track.
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