Lance Stroll has been urged to “forget the race” in Bahrain by ex-Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher as he struggles with wrist pain.
Stroll was involved in a biking accident on the build-up to pre-season testing and was forced to miss the three-day outing in Bahrain.
After being cleared for the opening race weekend of the year, Stroll was spotted flexing his wrist and using his uninjured hand to turn the steering wheel during practice.
The Canadian driver stated after FP2 that he was having discomfort, but insisted that he would be able to contest the remainder of the weekend.
However, Schumacher has pushed Stroll to drop out and save his wrist from further injury.
“If it’s hurting him so much now, then he can probably forget the race,” he told Sky Deutschland.
“Then [Felipe] Drugovich would have preferred to be given the chance. For him it will be hard now.”
Drugovich was called up to replace Stroll during pre-season testing and is on standby in case the three-time podium finisher is unable to compete.
Amid concern for Stroll, his team-mate Fernando Alonso enjoyed a strong day by topping the second practice session.
However, team boss Mike Krack has downplayed expectations.
“Ferrari, Alpine and Mercedes didn’t drive on the soft tyres in the first practice session,” he said.
“We know that there’s quite a bit of lap time in there. That’s why we have to put into perspective.
“We all know where we come from. We have set ourselves the goal of taking a step forward. The tests, comments and analysis are nice, but it only counts on Saturday and Sunday.
“We’ll wait and then see if we can perhaps adjust our goals again. Last year we didn’t take this step, and we mustn’t forget that.”
Keyword: Stroll urged to ‘forget’ Bahrain weekend amid wrist pain