Lance Stroll has opened up on the extent of the injuries that he sustained last month in a biking accident, which almost ruled him out of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Stroll was forced to skip pre-season testing while he recovered, and it became public during that time that he had injured his wrists.
After being cleared to take part in the race weekend, the Canadian driver complained of pain during free practice on Friday.
However he was back in the car on Saturday and after qualifying in eighth place, the 24-year-old revealed that he also suffered a broken toe in the crash.
“It has been pretty insane,” Stroll told Sky F1. “It’s exactly two weeks today since my crash, my bike crash. 12 days since surgery, came out of the hospital a week ago.
“I couldn’t move my hands, I couldn’t walk, I broke my toe. Bahrain looked like it was very far away at the time and I didn’t think it was… the light at the end of the tunnel was very far at the time.
“Really just grateful to be here and back in the car, thanks to everyone, my physio, the doctor in Spain that did the procedure. Everyone just helped me massively to be here right now.”
Stroll explained that he is slowly recovering but admitted that his toe is still experiencing discomfort at times when he’s behind the wheel of the car.
“Today is actually the first day I’m feeling that my toe is good enough to walk on it,” he said. “It doesn’t hurt in the car, unless I hit a few bumps.
“I’m feeling better every day, just doing a lot of physio, ice on my wrists. Every day is that 10 per cent improvement kind of thing.
“Tomorrow should be good, we have a great car in the long runs so I’m looking forward to it.”
Stroll will take the start on Sunday alongside seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, with whom he shares the fourth row of the grid.
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