The McLaren F1 team, majority-owned by Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, Mumtalakat, received some welcome news prior to the start of the Formula One 2022 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, with driver Daniel Ricciardo returning a number of negative Covid-19 tests.
Ricciardo had been forced to isolate since he tested positive for the coronavirus last week, forcing team-mate Lando Norris to drive on all three days of the pre-season testing which concluded at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) last Saturday.
Ricciardo, a McLaren statement said, would return to the paddock today, ready to compete in this weekend’s Bahrain GP.
“Daniel has been feeling better each day as he continued to recover while in isolation, following local regulations in Bahrain.”
The Australian’s return to the track provides a boost to his team which faced several problems during the testing round, foremost among them being a difficult adjustment to the newly redesigned car – the result of sweeping new regulations mandated by the FIA – and some braking issues.
“I’m glad to be back, feeling better and ready for the Bahrain GP and the season ahead,” Ricciardo said. “I was disappointed to not be in the car last week but, despite being unwell, I’ve been able to keep in touch with the team, chat to Lando about the car and prepare as best as I can for the race weekend.
“I want to maximise the free practice sessions to better understand the car and fine-tune everything to be ready for qualifying and lights out on Sunday. It’s hard to know where we’ll be on the grid but it’s going to be competitive and I’m hungry to get back in the car and go racing.”
In Ricciardo’s absence, Belgian-British team-mate Norris clocked just 200 laps over the three days of testing, saying afterwards that his team was not placed ideally heading into the race and that the tests had not gone as smoothly as hoped.
McLaren principal Andreas Seidl said the team was looking forward to having him back in the driver’s seat.
“Daniel’s preparations were compromised by him being unable to drive during the test in Bahrain,” Seidl said. “However, he got some good laps in at the Barcelona test.”
The first round of pre-season testing was held in Spain in February, where the new F1 2022 cars were unveiled. The new cars have been the subject of much debate with an aerodynamic ‘porpoising’ – or excessive bouncing – phenomenon.
Alpine Sporting director Alan Permane claimed after his team finished their testing round that they had made a breakthrough with porpoising – essentially, the motion of the car on its suspension, experienced mainly on the straights.
“We can switch that on and off now,” Permane said. “We know what makes that happen and what stops it. We are not sure we fully know whether we want it, whether it’s quicker in some settings or not quick and we should live with it.
“We did get some settings where Fernando Alonso said he wouldn’t be able to race like this. If you look at other cars, certainly the Ferrari at some points was really, really bouncy. We’ve got a much better handle on that now.”
Meanwhile, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton sounded a strong warning to his rivals, saying he was as ‘dangerous’ as he has ever been.
In a video uploaded on the Mercedes Twitter page, Hamilton replied “I would say so” when he was asked whether he believed that improvements made to his pre-season preparations made him a more dangerous driver.
“Naturally, your body does age, you do fatigue as you get older,” he added. “It is a slower recovery. But I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m too down in the slope; I still feel like I am relatively at the top.”
Hamilton, 37, who is now in his 16th season in Formula 1, also shared details about his preparation and his strong partnership with Mercedes.
“I feel I am more efficient in how I train,” he explained. “I’m much more in tune with my body in terms of knowing when I can push and when I can’t push, when I am recovered and when I am not, how I am feeding my body in terms of fuelling it.
“I’ve got all the experience over the years; I’ve got a great rapport with my team. We’ve been together for 10 years so I think we probably have the strongest partnership, I would say.”
Earlier in the week, Hamilton’s new team-mate George Russell celebrated his 24th birthday and shared a cheerful message for Bahraini fans on the Instagram account of local Mercedes dealership, Al Haddad Motors.
“Hi Bahrain,” he said. “I am excited for the upcoming season and my first race for the team this year in Bahrain. A huge thank you to all the fans in Bahrain for your warm welcome and your support. I’m looking forward to seeing you all at the track.”
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