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Pascal Wehrlein has hit back at his critics following his return to racing this weekend in Bahrain. The German will take part in his first race of the year after being sidelined for the opening two rounds of the season.
Wehrlein was involved in a crash back in January at the Race of Champions and shockingly pulled out of the Australian Grand Prix after the first two practice sessions, deeming himself unfit to race.
It emerged recently that the 22-year-old had fractured three vertebrae in the impact, delaying his recovery and return to fitness. However, wild speculation was thrown around, suggesting that his commitment and determination just was not at its fullest.
"Sauber and Mercedes knew from the beginning," he said in Bahrain. "It was clear that I would not get back into the car until I'm 100% fit. The only unfavourable thing was the way some media reported. If you don't know what injury someone has, you should not criticise them."
However, one interpretation is that the entire media saga could have been avoided if it was revealed from the beginning that Wehrlein had fractured back bones.
"We said that I was injured in my back. You only had to add two and two together to know that it wasn't a strain," Wehrlein insisted. "Now, I want to enjoy this weekend. The most important thing is my comeback -- the rest is a side issue."
And he said that despite his recent injury, he can now get on with the rest of his F1 career with confidence: "The doctors say that the back can be loaded in the same way as before, and in fact that the bones become stronger at the fracture site."
Fergal Walsh
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
C. Sainz jr
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It was wrong to criticise him, definitely... We don't know that whole situation