Felipe Drugovich is keen to skip the Le Mans 24 Hours if Aston Martin calls him as much as change an injured Lance Stroll within the clashing Canadian Grand Prix.
Drugovich is about to drive Motion Categorical Racing’s manufacturing facility Cadillac LMDh prototype with Frederik Vesti and Jack Aitken within the blue riband spherical of the World Endurance Championship on 14-15 June.
This might be his second consecutive look at Le Mans following on from his debut in 2024, when he, Aitken and Pipo Derani completed ninth within the high Hypercar class.
Nevertheless, Drugovich additionally serves as Aston Martin’s reserve driver in Method 1, which can want a brand new driver to companion Fernando Alonso if Lance Stroll doesn’t make a full restoration earlier than his residence race in Montreal subsequent week.
Stroll was pressured to withdraw from the Spanish GP as a consequence of ache in his wrist and fingers, believed to have been linked to the fracture he sustained whereas biking in early 2023.
The 26-year-old was as a consequence of get surgical procedure after Barcelona and no timeline has been offered relating to his anticipated restoration.
Ought to Stroll not be match to race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in every week’s time, Aston might herald reserve driver Drugovich as a alternative.
The Brazilian, who received the 2022 F2 title with MP Motorsport, has by no means raced in F1 regardless of being affiliated with the British model for 3 years.
“In the meanwhile, I do not even know precisely how issues will occur any longer,” Drugovich instructed Band TV.
“To start with, we’ve to want Lance the very best. For Le Mans, in that regard, my precedence has at all times been Method 1, so that is what should be maintained till then.”
Aston Martin additionally has former McLaren F1 driver Stoffel Vandoorne on its books as a reserve, however the Belgian can also be as a consequence of contest Le Mans on the identical weekend with the manufacturing facility Peugeot squad.
Aston’s chief trackside officer Mike Krack insisted that the group’s precedence is to have Stroll again within the automotive for the Canada race.
Nevertheless, ought to he not get better in time, the group has a backup plan in place involving Drugovich and Vandoorne.
“It’s fairly easy, the ‘Plan A’ is to have Lance within the automotive – that’s the ‘Plan A’, and that’s what we’re working to,” mentioned Krack. “If the ‘Plan A’ doesn’t work, then we have to pull ‘Plan B’.
“Clearly we at all times knew that Le Mans was going to occur, so we additionally had plans in place that if we’d like a driver that’s doing Le Mans, we’ll carry him, however in the intervening time this isn’t the one query.”
“We wait what the subsequent days are bringing, after which we take a choice.”
