Lance Stroll reveals how it felt when his 'whole world was just crumbling' before him

Lance Stroll claimed that his "whole world was just crumbling" when he broke his wrists ahead of the 2023 F1 season. The Canadian driver missed the entirety of pre-season testing but managed to finish P6 in the season opener the following weekend in Bahrain.

Aston Martin revealed that three days prior to Bahrain's pre-season test, Stroll sustained injuries during a training ride in Malaga the previous weekend. As a result, he was unable to participate in the testing.

The injuries were later disclosed to consist of fractures in both wrists and a broken toe. Doctors told the Canadian that he wouldn't be able to race until round three in Australia, but the Aston Martin driver prioritized recovery well and made it to the first race in Bahrain.

Lance Stroll described the mental torment he went through in this period to the F1 Nation podcast, saying:

"I fell off my bike and I went down really hard. And I knew right away both wrists were crushed. I only noticed my toe at the end of the day, because I was so focused on my wrists. My whole world was just crumbling in front of me, because I was already thinking I'm probably going to miss a few races. All those thoughts are going through your head and like horrible timing, four days before the test."

Lance Stroll shed a tear during the season opener in Bahrain

Lance Stroll revealed that he welled up during the first few laps of the Bahrain GP after making contact with his teammate Fernando Alonso. The Canadian driver was in significant pain after having to counter-steer following his collision with his teammate, due to his injuries.

On a recent Sky Sports vodcast on YouTube, F1 presenter Naomi Schiff mentioned that Stroll told her and other presenters how he 'shed a tear' after touching Alonso.

"I think maybe he sometimes does not come across extremely motivated, but I think this weekend he proved that he was very motivated and that he was going to do everything it took to get back in the car despite the condition that he was in. From what he told us, he even shed a tear after that touch with Alonso; he obviously had quite a lot of lock on the steering [wheel], and he shed a tear; that's how much pain he was in."

Despite his injuries, Lance Stroll finished P6 in Bahrain, showing that the Canadian can push through gruesome injuries if he puts his mind to it. It will be interesting to follow his campaign this year given Aston Martin's competent car.