Ricciardo poised to race in Bahrain GP after testing negative for Covid-19

Daniel Ricciardo has tested negative for Covid-19 and will return to the Bahrain paddock on Thursday in time for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, McLaren have stated.

Ricciardo tested positive for Covid-19 during the Official Pre-Season Test last week, leaving Lando Norris to conduct the three days of running for the Woking squad.

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McLaren had a number of drivers – including Nyck de Vries, Stoffel Vandoorne, Paul Di Resta and Alpine reserve Oscar Piastri – on standby, but now their Australian driver is primed to return for the opening weekend.

"McLaren F1 Team confirms that after testing positive for Covid-19 last week, Daniel has now returned a number of negative tests and will therefore return to the paddock on Thursday ready to compete in this weekend’s Bahrain GP," said the team on Wednesday ahead of the Grand Prix.

"Daniel has been feeling better each day as he continued to recover while in isolation following local regulations in Bahrain."

Norris completed 200 laps – the highest individual tally – over the Bahrain test as Ricciardo spent the week in isolation.

McLaren however had to contend with brake overheating issues in the desert, and will have spent the time between the test and the Grand Prix attempting to fix those problems as they aim to join the frontrunners in 2022.

The Bahrain Grand Prix begins with Free Practice 1 on March 18, ahead of the first race of the season on March 20.