The reason for Daniel Ricciardo’s indisposition has been clarified: The McLaren driver has corona – He will miss the third day of testing, but he could be fit for the season opener
Daniel Ricciardo will also not take the wheel for McLaren on the third and final day of Formula One testing in Bahrain. The Australian had already complained of feeling unwell on Thursday and Friday and was unable to take part in the tests. Now the reason is clear: Daniel Ricciardo has been infected with the corona virus!
As announced by his McLaren team on Friday evening, Ricciardo tested positive for the virus, although the tests had all previously been negative. The Australian, who the team says is already on the road to recovery, will continue to be in isolation, which he had already complied with over the past two days.
This means that Lando Norris will also contest Sachir’s third day of testing in the MCL36. The Briton had already replaced Ricciardo on the previous two days and completed the team’s programme as the only driver.
This does not mean Ricciardo is out for next week’s Formula 1 season opener. Under local regulations, he could be out of isolation again in time should he not have another positive test then.
Despite this, he will then be competing at a distinct disadvantage, having not completed a single test kilometre in Bahrain. Should Ricciardo not be fit, McLaren would have to resort to a replacement driver. In theory, that would be Stoffel Vandoorne or Nyck de Vries, who would be shared with Mercedes.