Why only 18 F1 drivers lined up on the grid at Spanish Grand Prix

When tuning in for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix, fans may have been shocked to see just 18 cars on the starting grid for the race.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris lined up on the front row of the grid, with their championship rival Max Verstappen breathing down their necks in third, and 15 other drivers lining up behind, hoping to try and gain a slipstream for the long run down to turn one.

READ MORE: FIA announce Lewis Hamilton penalty verdict after Spanish Grand Prix investigation

However, Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Yuki Tsunoda started from the pit-lane, and one other Formula 1 star was absent completely from the race around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Lance Stroll was revealed to have been feeling some pain in his right wrist and hand, and an official statement from his Aston Martin team confirmed that he would not take part in Sunday's race, and would instead be having an operation on his hand and wrist.

Why are there cars missing from the Spanish GP grid?

With Stroll having taken part in qualifying, putting his AM25 car in 14th, the sporting regulations would have forbidden Aston Martin from finding a replacement for the Canadian, after his withdrawal was announced late on Saturday.

It meant that only 19 drivers will compete for victory in Spain, and Aston Martin's hopes rest on 43-year-old former champion Fernando Alonso.

It has not yet been confirmed whether Stroll will be back in time for his home race at the Canadian GP on June 13-15, but the Silverstone-based outfit's official statement about Stroll's injury read: "Over the course of the past six weeks Lance has been experiencing pain in his hand and wrist, which his medical consultant believes is in relation to the procedure he underwent in 2023.

"As a result his medical team have confirmed that he will not race tomorrow (Sunday) and he will undergo a procedure to rectify these issues before focusing on his recovery.

"Due to the sporting regulations Fernando will be our only car competing in tomorrow’s Spanish GP."

Only 18 cars will officially take to the start line at the Spanish GP, with Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Tsunoda having to start from the pit-lane after the team opted to make several changes to his car under parc ferme conditions, including giving the Japanese driver a new rear wing.

The changes were made at minimal risk to Tsunoda's chances of scoring points in Barcelona, after the Red Bull star had already qualified last, behind the Alpine of Franco Colapinto.

READ MORE: Red Bull F1 star hit by late FIA demotion at Spanish Grand Prix

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