WATCH: Aston Martin and Felipe Drugovich cause an early red flag as pre-season testing begins

Aston Martin and Felipe Drugovich made a stuttering start to pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit on Thursday morning, with the new AMR23 coming to a halt during its first run.

Following Lance Stroll’s training accident, Aston Martin called on reserve driver and F2 champion Drugovich to debut their 2023 challenger, ahead of new signing Fernando Alonso jumping into the cockpit.

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However, shortly after leaving the pits, and around 10 minutes into the first day of running in Sakhir, Drugovich pulled off the track at Turn 4, bringing out the red flags in the process.

With no smoke evident, it's not yet clear whether Drugovich was instructed to stop the car, or did so of his own accord – but Aston Martin mechanics will no doubt be quick to investigate when the car is back in the pits.

Watch the early pre-season drama for Aston Martin in the video player above.