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Pascal Wehrlein says that he will definitely return to the grid in China, after deciding to sit out the Australian Grand Prix. The 22-year-old deemed himself unfit to race following his crash at the Race of Champions.
Antonio Giovinazzi was called in to replace him after the Italian drove the car for the first week of preseason testing. Wehrlein said it was simply a lack of physical fitness that prompted his decision to sit out.
"Anyone who knows how ambitious I am will know how much this decision hurts me. Especially since I'm having no pain. I just realised in the long runs that my fitness is not enough for 60 laps," Wehrlein said as Ferrari reserve Antonio Giovinazzi took his place on Saturday. "The decision was made between myself and the team. The doctors were not involved," he added.
"I've been in the car for four days now (since the injury) and I've been feeling better every day. Next week I will continue to improve. I'm going to train hard in Europe next week, and I'll be back in the car in China on Friday. Then we'll see."
Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn banished suggestions that the decision for Wehrlein to step aside was political, saying they were "ridiculous" comments.
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Can't wait to see what Giovinazzi does!