Sebastian Vettel to return to the grid for the F1 Australian Grand Prix

Four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel will return to the grid for the Australian Grand Prix next weekend, Aston Martin announced today. The German was reportedly declared fit to race, following a COVID-19 negative test.

In a statement posted on its social media handles, the team wrote:

“We are pleased to confirm that Sebastian Vettel is now fit to race and will therefore line up alongside Lance Stroll in Melbourne to kick off his 2022 F1 season at the Australian Grand Prix.”

Vettel was forced to sit out the first two races of the 2022 season after being infected with COVID-19 ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend. He and was subsequently replaced by his fellow countryman Nico Hulkenberg. Vettel is, therefore, yet to officially race in F1’s new era.

Meanwhile, Aston Martin has had a horrid season so far in Vettel’s absence. The optimism that radiated from within the team during their 2022 launch event is long gone. In both Sakhir and Jeddah, the team failed to score and currently sits at the bottom end of the points table with Williams.

Apart from upgrades to make the car more competitive, Vettel will have little else to look forward to in Melbourne.

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Physical fitness could hamper Sebastian Vettel’s F1 return

Sebastian Vettel last drove an F1 car in the Bahrain pre-season test nearly three weeks ago. Combined with his COVID-19 infection, Vettel will be in a less-than-ideal condition to endure the demands of driving an F1 car throughout a Grand Prix distance.

In the past, many drivers, including Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen, have seemingly struggled to perform at their best following COVID-19 infections. Furthermore, driving an F1 car following an extended break will mean the body is less prepared to endure the physical stress it undergoes while driving the car. Both Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg struggled with neck pain after making their F1 returns within short notice.

The 2022 cars, with mechanical suspensions and higher levels of downforce compared to last year, are some of the toughest F1 cars to drive in recent years. This means Vettel will have a monumental task in getting himself fit before the Australian Grand Prix in less than two weeks.