‘Just phenomenal’ – Lance Stroll reveals miraculous recovery from cycling accident and four broken bones to take sixth place at Bahrain Grand Prix two weeks later
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll has detailed his miraculous recovery from a horrific cycling accident after playing in the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Canadian driver suffered four different fractures to take sixth place in the Formula 1 season opener, jumping into a car less than two weeks after the accident.
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Aston Martin won its best points total with a bandaged walk to the line
Stroll was seen at the Sakhir paddock with both wrists bandaged, as well as foot sliders to make room for a swollen toe.
He has now confirmed there were fractures to both wrists, left hand and big toe of the right foot.
The 24-year-old hadn’t taken part in pre-season testing a week earlier and was in serious doubt for Bahrain’s opener, with team-mate Fernando Alonso doing most of the testing and reserve driver Felipe Drugovich lined up as a substitute.
With Aston Martin flying in test, Stroll could not hold back for the first Grand Prix of the season, and the team eventually earned a mega 23 points, only Red Bull winning more.
It was not an easy journey for Stroll, as he has now revealed in a social media post.
Writing alongside a number of images from his comeback, he said: “I want to take a moment today to reflect on the past two weeks and share my story with you guys.
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Stroll arrived at the hospital in great pain
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He was able to recover from several breaks
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Stroll had pins in both wrists
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He was still able to turn the wheel
“On Saturday February 18, I crashed on my bike while training in Spain. Scans showed I had a fractured and displaced right wrist, a fractured left wrist, a partial fracture of the left hand and finally another fracture of the big toe of the right foot.
“With the start of the season fast approaching, the timing couldn’t have been worse. My medical team, at the start, thought that I was not only going to miss the tests, but realistically the first races.
“48 hours after my accident/12 days before the first race, Dr. Javier Mir successfully operated on my right wrist. After the operation Dr Mir told me I would be back for Jeddah if I worked hard and hopefully he was optimistic I could race to Bahrain – but that was a remote possibility. To this day, I am confident that the emergency Dr. Mir showed me helped me get to Bahrain.
“The work has not been done. Unfortunately, Dr. Mir explained that my left hand/wrist and toe fractures were not amenable to fixation and that I had to resort to a more conservative approach to treat my other injuries.
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Stroll undertook a number of exercises
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Some more painful than others
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But his doctor took him back to the car
“My medical team made sure we did anything and everything that showed evidence of bone healing. was 0.5%.
“In the beginning, progress was slow – I needed a lot of help, even with daily chores around the house.
“But every day got better and once the cast broke away on day 4, it became possible that we might have a chance to race in Bahrain. My medical team designed a program that would help me restore the mobility and strength in my wrists.
“Rehabilitation took hard work and perseverance – but with an amazing medical team and my supportive friends and family – I was able to overcome the pain and get back on track in Bahrain with my team and my fellow pilots.
“And we did it!!!
“I’m grateful to everyone who supported me, sent kind notes and wishes!”
His teammate Alonso was quick to comment on the Instagram post, writing, “Just phenomenal.”
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